A rift has emerged between Borussia Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel and the chief scout responsible for many of the club’s summer signings, according to reports in the German media.

Tuchel fell out with Sven Mislintat earlier this year over the failed signing of Atletico Madrid midfielder Oliver Torres and the two men have endured a difficult professional relationship.

Nevertheless, despite interest from Bundesliga rivals Hamburger SV and second division neigbours Fortuna Düsseldorf, kicker report that Dortmund are determined to retain Mislintat's services and are even set to offer him a promotion.

Mislintat has been Borussia Dortmund's chief scout since 2009. His department is credited with successfully negotiating the transfers of Shinji Kagawa, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Raphael Guerreiro and Ousmane Dembele, making the 43-year-old one of the most respected scouts in professional football.

But according to Sport Bild, his relationship with Thomas Tuchel began to turn sour early in 2016 as the Dortmund manager began to take issue with Mislintat's sloppy appearance and unprofessional attitude around the training ground and stadium, where he is allegedly often seen smoking.

The rift intensified when Mislintat failed to finalize the widely reported transfer of highly-rated Atletico Madrid youngster Oliver Torres this summer – the 21-year-old midfielder going on loan to FC Porto instead. The two men haven't spoken since.

The falling out is not understood to adversely affect day-to-day operations in Dortmund since Mislintat's department is answerable to sporting director Michael Zorc rather than Tuchel himself.