Borussia Dortmund have acted quickly to dismiss reports Mats Hummels is ready to hand in a transfer request and attract the interest of Premier League side Manchester United.

Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has played down suggestions the World Cup-winning centre-back is at odds with the club, particularly new manager Thomas Tuchel, according to Liam Spence of the Daily Express:

Today I read of a problematic relation between Mats and us. But that’s definitely not true.

Mats Hummels is a very important player for us. He is our captain. I have an excellent relationship with him. Sometimes he is not too easy, but that does not have to be a disadvantage.

He is a very decent guy, and we will support him entirely. There is nothing more to say about it.

Watzke was responding to claims from German publication Bild (h/t talkSPORT) suggesting Hummels is ready to quit the Bundesliga due to his fractious relationship with Tuchel.

The same reports indicate Hummels’ potential availability would pique the interest of United boss Louis van Gaal. He’s described as an “admirer” of Hummels, a player who could partner the revitalised Chris Smalling.

A Hummels-Smalling centre-back pairing would no doubt be an effective one. The German international boasts the comfort on the ball Van Gaal loves his defenders to have. Playing out from the back is vital in the methodical, possession-based game he preaches.

While Smalling doesn’t have anywhere near the same level of confidence in possession, his rough-and-ready athleticism is perfect for the frenetic pace of the Premier League.

With Hummels and Smalling offering contrasting styles, United would have a similar level of balance at the back to the days when Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic operated at the heart of defence.

While Dortmund’s reaction to the rumours has been an inevitably defiant one, they may still struggle to keep Hummels beyond this season. The club missed out on UEFA Champions League qualification last season, Jurgen Klopp’s final year in charge.

Tuchel’s men are currently second in the Bundesliga, eight points behind the mighty Bayern Munich, per Sky Sports. Even with a return to Europe’s premier club competition next season, Hummels may believe he stands a better chance of lifting trophies if he leaves Dortmund.

United, with their endless bags of cash, along with the experience and winning mentality of Van Gaal, would be an attractive destination for the 26-year-old.

So, Watzke’s words may not be the blow they initially sound like.

 

United Have to Wait for Marko Grujic

One transfer United will have to wait for is any deal for Red Star Belgrade midfielder Marko Grujic, dubbed the “new Nemanja Matic.”

According to Sportske (h/t Football-Italia.net, via Daily Express writer Spence), Red Star sporting director Zvezdan Terzic is adamant he won’t sell before the summer: “He can’t leave the club before August, or in any case not before the end of the season.”

Yet, Terzic also claimed that while Grujic won’t be allowed to officially switch clubs this winter, he would be allowed to sign a pre-contract agreement ahead of a later move: “If we can’t guarantee support from the sponsors of the club, then there’s the possibility of signing a pre-contract with a club, but he’ll stay with us until the end of August, until the end of the European preliminaries.”

That’s potentially welcome news for the growing list of suitors Grujic is attracting. The player—who is also wanted by United and Serie A sides AS Roma and Inter Milan—recently claimed Chelsea want him, according to David Wright of the Daily Express: “Nemanja Matic is a friend, he’s Serbian and he has been at Chelsea for over a year. He tells me that they want me.”

United would no doubt be keen on beating Chelsea to the punch. Their central midfield ranks are getting long in years. Michael Carrick is 34 and increasingly injury prone, while Bastian Schweinsteiger is 31.

Adding a gifted 19-year-old with a burgeoning reputation would be a positive step toward refreshing the ranks.

Grujic hasn’t been bashful about encouraging interest from several clubs. He recently suggested Inter have been tracking him, something he intends to discuss with the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League winners, per La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Daily Star‘s Chisanga Malata): “At the end of the season I’ll be in Milan for talks. Inter are a possible destination.” 

Van Gaal is still fine tuning his Old Trafford rebuild. The middle of both defence and midfield needs an influx of talent and fresh legs.

But as the latest rumours prove, United’s path to acquiring new recruits isn’t going to be easy to tread. Selling clubs know the Red Devils aren’t shy about spending and will do all they can to drive up fees.

A centre-back as accomplished as Hummels may be worth paying over the odds for, but a teenage midfielder not shy about talking up how much he’s wanted is best avoided.

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