THE FUSE

Speaking to Sport Bild, the 52-year-old said: "Upa is now 27 years old, in the golden age for a central defender. He wants to make his decision very consciously, which he should do. Upa should not and will not stay because of the money, even if he got a good offer from us, but because of our general way and the overall package. He is one of the world's best defenders. Vincent, Christoph and I have supported him very much and want to continue on the path we have taken with him and would like to keep him in the prime of his career. He would be the internal king transfer for us. We're still talking to each other. I'm basically a very positive person, and I think I can feel that Upa feels very comfortable with us with the path we've chosen."