"He knows how much I value him" - Nuri Sahin sends message to Niclas Füllkrug amid Borussia Dortmund exit links

Nuri Sahin has made it clear that he wants to keep Niclas Füllkrug at Borussia Dortmund despite reports linking him with a move to Atletico Madrid and AC Milan.

The race to sign Niclas Füllkrug is heating up, with Atletico Madrid and AC Milan at the front of the queue. The Germany international's thoughts about his future are unclear at the moment. But it was reported not long ago that he wasn't best pleased with Borussia Dortmund's decision to sign Serhou Guirassy from VfB Stuttgart.

While uncertainty remains over Füllkrug's future, Nuri Sahin does not want to part ways with the striker this summer. The Borussia Dortmund head coach believes that having two top strikers leading the way will be important to his plans.

"We had a lot of contact over the summer," Sahin told Sky Sport. "He was also my teammate in Bremen and he knows what I think of him and how much I value him. We want to have the best possible team and Niclas Füllkrug and Serhou Guirassy play a central role in my plans."

Borussia Dortmund signed Füllkrug last summer from Werder Bremen, and he immediately established himself as the club's first-choice striker. The 31 year old scored 15 goals and assisted a further ten during his debut season with the Black and Yellows. He also impressed for Germany at the European Championship this summer.

Niclas Füllkrug has two years left on his current contract with Borussia Dortmund, and it will be interesting to see what the future holds for him beyond the end of the summer transfer window.