Last week, Manchester United were strongly linked with a bid to sign Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels, with talkSPORT reporting an offer of £21.5 million.
The radio station cited reports from Germany suggesting that the Red Devils had made their first official approach for the 27 year-old in mid-April, in an attempt to seal a move early in the summer.
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However, a slightly cryptic statement from Dortmund’s sporting director, Michael Zorc, casts doubt upon the story that his team’s captain has been the subject of an offer from the Premier League giants.
“As far as I know, Hummels’s contract still runs until 2017,” Zorc was quoted by the Daily Star.
“We did not receive any offer that we should think about,” he continued.
“There will surely be some changes to the team this summer – maybe more changes than in recent years – but we won’t radically change our team.”
It’s the second sentence that intrigues the most – “We did not receive any offer that we should think about.” It hardly says ‘We have not received any offers’ – and almost hints that some have been made; it’s just that they haven’t been good enough to consider.
Hummels has been linked with a switch to Old Trafford since last summer’s transfer window, and with Jurgen Klopp’s imminent departure from the Westfalenstadion, combined with BVB’s debilitating season in the Bundesliga, now is the perfect opportunity for Louis van Gaal to finally land the centre-back.