Kagawa refuses to discuss future

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Japan midfielder Shinji Kagawa is refusing to talk about his future as transfer rumors continue to swirl around the Borussia Dortmund playmaker.

"I don't think there's any need for me to answer that," Kagawa said on Saturday, when asked if he would be returning to two-time Bundesliga champion Dortmund next season.

"I want to be professional about it and just play hard to the last game of the season," he said.

Kagawa spoke after Dortmund thrashed Kaiserslautern 5-2 away with one match left in the campaign, which his team won last weekend. He came on in the 66th minute and set up the fifth 10 minutes later for Dortmund, which stretched its unbeaten run to 27 games.

Kagawa, whose contract with Dortmund expires in the summer of 2013, has been linked with Europe's biggest clubs like Manchester United, Chelsea and AC Milan as the transfer window approaches.

The latest report out of Europe claims United has offered Kagawa a three-year deal worth €6 million in annual salary — double what Dortmund has tabled and a figure that would make the 23-year-old the highest-paid Japanese player ever.

Kagawa said it has been difficult enough remaining motivated without the distractions of all the transfer talk.

"It's been kind of a tricky week," he said. "It's hard to get up for it again after you've won the championship already."

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