Old Trafford side step-up pursuit of Borussia Dortmund defender.
Man United boss Louis van Gaal is hot on the heels of Borussia Dortmund centre-back Mats Hummels and is readying a £30m bid for the German international.
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Van Gaal is keen to strengthen his leaky defence and is confident he can lure 25 year old to Old Trafford in January after his Westfalenstadion side’s average start to the Bundesliga season.
Man United spent £150m on new signings over the summer but the lion’s share of that outlay was used to strengthen their options in the final third and van Gaal will look to address this issue when the transfer window re-opens and feels Hummels is the ideal man for the job.
The departure of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, for QPR and Inter Milan respectively, has left Man United short on central defensive options with youngster Tyler Blackett being thrown in at the deep end this term.
Northern Irishman Jonny Evans has struggled for form and Phil Jones has suffered with injuries leaving van Gaal short on effective performers at the back.
Hummels is arguably one of the best centre-backs in world football and is a player Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp would be loathed to lose.
The former Bayern Munich man, who left before van Gaal took over at the Allianz Arena, has seen his side fall way behind the Bavarian giants in recent seasons and as such may be open to a fresh challenge.
Hummels was at his masterful best over the summer when he played a prominent role in Joachim Low’s World Cup winning squad.