Mats Hummels Transfer to Manchester United Still On, Latest Red Devils News

The seemingly neverending reports of Mats Hummels' potential transfer from Borussia Dortmund to Manchester United continue with recent whisperings that a price is close to being agreed.

The German international has been named as a top target for Louis van Gaal since the summer, and as Dortmund continue to struggle against relegation in the Bundesliga, a move for Hummels seems increasingly likely.

While a January switch is not a likely option, the Red Devils may finally get their man in the summer, but according to Simon Jones in the Daily Mail, they will have to fork out £37 million (€50 million) for the centre-back. 

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Indeed, Sport Bild recently reported (h/t Jamie Sanderson in Metro) that such a figure would be enough to get Dortmund to part with their skipper, and Jones' piece suggests the Bundesliga club are preparing for life without him.

For Hummels' part, he is clearly becoming weary of consistently being quizzed about his future, per Bundesliga writer Clark Whitney:

However, as Sport Witness notes, the 26-year-old has not ruled out a possible move to United, and if—as is highly likely—Dortmund are not in the Champions League next season, he will surely look to move elsewhere:

Hummels is a World Cup winner and one of the most highly rated central defenders in world football—hence why United will likely have to shell out more than £30 million to sign him up.

As B/R UK's Sam Tighe notes below, he does have his weaknesses, but he would be an experienced and organising presence in the Red Devils' currently inconsistent defence:

Another long-rumoured United defensive target is Paris Saint-Germain's Marquinhos, with the Brazilian set to cost Van Gaal £38 million if he wants to land him, per Ben Jefferson in the Express.

The 20-year-old is not a first-team regular under Laurent Blanc and could well be open to a switch to Old Trafford, but it would be a risky move on United's part to shell out so much for such a young player.

However, he is a terrific prospect, and perhaps an ideal scenario for United would be to bring both Hummels and Marquinhos to Manchester to form a long-term centre-back partnership.

While this would require a significant outlay of funds, the Red Devils proved in the summer that they are prepared to spend big, and such a duo could well improve the United side drastically.