United hoped to land Mats Hummels by offering Shinji Kagawa as part of the deal.
Image gallery: Falcao WAG
Manchester United made a last ditch attempt to sign long term target Mats Hummels in the closing days of the transfer window, the Daily Express reports.
The Red Devils had been chasing the German centre back all summer but had been thwarted by Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp, who repeatedly stated that the World Cup winner wasn’t going anywhere.
However, United felt they had an opportunity to land Hummels late in the transfer window when Dortmund were trying to sign Shinji Kagawa.
They tried to use Kagawa as bait by offering £20 million plus the Japanese international for Hummels and were confident that would be enough to convince the German giants to part with their prized centre back.
However, Dortmund were still not interested in selling one of their best players, meaning United gave up in their pursuit of the 25-year-old and let Kagawa move back to Signal Iduna Park in a £6.3 million deal.
Despite giving up on Hummels during the summer transfer window, Red Devils boss Louis van Gaal plans to revisit his interest in the Germany international during the January transfer window.
The veteran Dutch coach could also make a move for AS Roma midfielder Kevin Strootman, who has been dubbed ”the Dutch Roy Keane” by fans in the Netherlands.
SEE ALSO: Manchester United XI with Radamel Falcao.