Manchester United Transfer News: Latest Nicolas Otamendi, Mats Hummels Rumours

Manchester United have reportedly denied making a £27 million bid for Valencia's Nicolas Otamendi, according to David McDonnell of the Mirror.

McDonnell claims "senior United sources have told MirrorSport they have made no bid for the Argentina international or have any plans to move for him." This directly contradicts a story set in motion by Sky Sports' Guillem Balague, who tweeted United's alleged offer on Monday:

Interestingly, Sky Sports reports a potential bid "is being strongly denied by sources inside Old Trafford, and Valencia also say Otamendi will stay at the club in this window."

Otamendi is currently starring in a Valencia team who are pushing to make the Champions League. The bullish defender only made his club debut at the beginning of the season, but has quickly inserted himself as a key member of an improving squad. He is physically strong and difficult to bypass, not to mention a towering presence in the air, attributes United desperately need at the back.

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Louis van Gaal recently suggested the club won't be making any major moves during the January transfer window, per Alex Shaw of ESPN FC:

It would be negligence to let the window pass without adding to the squad's defensive ranks. Mats Hummels continues to be linked with a move from Borussia Dortmund, but the World Cup-winning centre-back remains keen on playing down speculation while his club lingers second from bottom in the Bundesliga.

"Would I play in Dortmund without the Champions League? I do not think qualification for the Champions League will be the only requirement to be happy," Hummels recently told Die Welt (h/t Thomas Jacobs of the Daily Mail).

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

"All those rumours are another issue I have never commented about," he continued during the same interview, via Chisanga Malata of the Daily Star. "I've done that in the past, and I will continue to do so."

United's season is currently defined by struggles with Van Gaal's 3-5-2 formation, a style which saw them lose on the opening day of the campaign and rarely improve upon six months later. This was highlighted during the recent 2-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers, in which a dire first half saw United stutter with three centre-backs once more.

Van Gaal switched to a quartet of defenders after the break, a change which saw United up the tempo and net both goals. Former Red Devils right-back Gary Neville believes the manager should change his setup permanently, as revealed during Sky Sports' Monday Night Football show (h/t Jacobs):

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Louis van Gaal wants them to recycle the ball and switch the play. I'm not a fan of 3-5-2 because the centre-backs are the free men and they become the safe option. They play out from the back but the tempo is too slow. Far too often they are keeping possession and passing it backwards.

They've become quite predictable in the past few weeks. Manchester United looked far more dangerous on Saturday when they changed the system. Fans want them to go 2-0 up and then keep possession rather than fight for goals near the end.

"

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

Arguably United's weakest area is the centre-back position, so it seems counterproductive to deploy a trio of individuals who don't fully understand 3-5-2. None of Van Gaal's central defenders are natural ball-players, meaning possession is so often flitted around with little purpose right now. Michael Carrick is forced to drop and try to find the killer pass out of defence, limiting his ability to keep things ticking.

Both Otamendi and Hummels have the natural passing skills to ease pressure in 3-5-2, but there's the profound sense this formation will never stick with United fans. The club's success is built on overlapping wing play and bombing full-backs, not tentative passing along the back line.

B/R UK's Alex Dimond recently considered a number of other options who could improve United:

It seems a big-money transfer remains some way off, however, meaning it would be ambitious for supporters to get their hopes up.

Van Gaal's aforementioned comments are the best indicator of the club's movements, despite a real need for United to bring in additional quality.