Arsenal
Arsenal Ready To Battle Manchester United For €37m World Cup Winner
Arsenal are ready to go head-to-head with Man United for the signature of €37m-rated Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels this summer, according to reports.
The summer transfer window is now well under way and managers are working hard to strengthen their squads ahead of next season, so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip. Today, Arsenal are ready to battle with Man Utd for Mats Hummels.
Image: Express
Arsenal are ready to go head-to-head with Manchester United for the signature of €37m-rated Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels this summer, according to reports.
United have been strongly linked with Hummels in recent months with boss Louis van Gaal understood to have identified the German international as the man to build his new-look defence around at Old Trafford.
However, it appears the Red Devils are going to face some stiff competition for his signature as the Mirror are reporting today that Arsenal are ready to enter the chase and have asked to be kept informed about the defender’s availability.
Dortmund have publicly insisted the 25-year-old is going nowhere, but the report claims that privately there is a belief that the Bundesliga giants would be willing to cash in if a bid of €37m (£30m) was put on the table.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is on the look-out for a defender to replace Thomas Vermaelen – who is almost certain to leave this summer after losing his first team place – and it looks like the Frenchman has identified Hummels as the man for the job.
Wenger has already spent over £60m on four signings this summer but the Mirror suggest he still has funds available to bring in two further expensive signings, and with a world class centre-back understood to be a priority, Hummel’s has emerged as a top target after the Londoners were made aware of his potential availability.
It would be interesting to see who Wenger’s starting pair would be next season if he does manage to land Hummels, as Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny have forged an excellent partnership at the back and neither are likely to accept being dropped to make room for the German. Likewise, Hummels isn’t going to leave Dortmund to sit on the bench at the Emirates, so it’s difficult to see how Wenger would be able to keep all three happy.
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Despite not being able to offer Champions League football, this is where United would feel confident of winning the chase as van Gaal would be able to guarantee Hummels first team football. The Dutchman needs to bring in at least one centre-back following the exits of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, and Hummels would be a cert to start if he made the move to Old Trafford, so the former champions will no doubt hope that proves to be a decisive factor in the players thinking.
