Manchester United Transfer News: Mats Hummels and Thomas Muller Double Boost

Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels has reportedly fallen out with coach Thomas Tuchel, potentially pushing him closer to a move to Manchester United.

Bild (h/t Colin Harvey of the Daily Star) claims the pair have suffered a breakdown in relationship, noting the centre-back’s form has deteriorated. As Harvey reported, Hummels has previously admitted that United were in for him this summer.

Here’s a look at why the Germany international has long been rated as one of the best centre-backs in world football:

Hummels has been at the centre of Dortmund’s renaissance in recent years, thriving under the tutelage of former manager Jurgen Klopp and giving the team a composed presence at the base of the side. He was also central to Germany winning the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, turning in a string of commanding displays.

However, while BVB have been sensational going forward, at the back they’ve struggled. Hummels, as Squawka Football noted, has been especially poor:

If United can capitalise on this situation then they’d have themselves a good defender. Hummels is well suited to playing the possession-based football manager Louis van Gaal demands from his players and he’d be adept at getting attacks moving quicker with his sharp distribution. What the German lacks in pace, he also makes up for in sharp thinking and physicality.

In practice, the 26-year-old would be a perfect partner at the base of the team alongside Chris Smalling. Dortmund, naturally, have been reluctant to cash in on such a crucial figure at the Westfalenstadion, but poor form and reports of a fallout with the manager mean Red Devils fans may start to get excited about this potential deal finally coming to fruition.

Thomas Muller Contract Hesitations

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Bayern Munich’s star forward Thomas Muller has reportedly stalled talks over a new contract at the club, with the German said to have “hesitated” over committing when it comes to his long-term future.

According to Kicker (h/t Joe Short of the Daily Express) Muller is said to be considering his options, with Manchester United strongly linked with a move for him in the past. The Bayern man’s current contract with the club runs until 2019, with the German juggernauts said to be willing to offer a two-year extension.

As we can see here courtesy of OptaFranz, the 26-year-old has achieved plenty with Bayern already:

Muller has been a key member of this Bayern side for a long time now. His intelligence and appetite for the game has enabled him to remain a first-team regular despite not possessing the kind of qualities manager Pep Guardiola typically looks for in his players; it’s hard to drop someone who creates and scores so many goals.

This season he’s taken his game on to new levels as well, even with Robert Lewandowski operating as the main focal point of the Bayern attack, per WhoScored.com:

It means that even if contract talks between Muller and Bayern have broken down, it’s unlikely he’ll be on the move any time soon. As aforementioned, he still has more than three seasons left on his current deal, in addition to the fact that he clearly enjoys playing for this team, which is challenging for the top honours on a consistent basis.

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Bayern need a player in their ranks who possesses that local identity too, especially with Bastian Schweinsteiger leaving the club in the summer and Philipp Lahm edging into the twilight of his career. Therefore, it’d have to be an eye-watering financial package put together by United to first convince the German champions to accept a bid and then for Muller to be lured to Old Trafford.