With Louis Van Gaal still not quite able to find the defender he wants in the January transfer window, the Manchester United manager is ready to go back for his number one target with an offer which the club believe Borussia Dortmund will accept.
Mats Hummels has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United for quite a while now, and while reports leading up to the January transfer window suggested United were confident of a deal in the winter, those reports have now pushed the possible deal to the summer at the end of the season.
However, according to SportBild, Manchester United are set to make a bid of €50 million (£37 million) for Hummels, with the report claiming the English Premier League side are now confident of sealing the deal.
Hummels, undoubtedly, would add that extra bit of elegance and assurance to the Manchester United squad and backline, and if Van Gaal can manage to convince the German defender to jump ship from Dortmund midway through the season, it would be a major coup.
However, it remains unlikely that Hummels will want to leave Dortmund in the relegation mire that they find themselves in Bundesliga at the moment.
While exits at Dortmund – unfortunate for such an exciting side – look inevitable, the likelihood of those departures remains locked in next summer, when the likes of Marco Reus, Ilkay Gundogan and Hummels could all look for new pastures.
Arsenal were also quite interested in signing Hummels from Borussia Dortmund, but with Arsene Wenger shelling out plenty of money – nowhere near what Hummels will eventually cost, of course -- to sign Gabriel Paulista from Villarreal, the path has opened up for Manchester United to make their move.
Van Gaal has had half a season to work with the current United squad, but the team still looks pretty unconvincing and the influx of a few more world-class players might help matters.
Hummels is regarded as one of the best centre-backs in the world, and even if injuries and lack of form have hampered his season a little bit this time, there is little doubt about his ability and quality to command a defence.
The fact that he is also capable of chipping in with a few goals from setpieces is an added advantage and one that Manchester United will be well aware of when they make that big offer, which Borussia Dortmund will reportedly find hard to refuse.
