Manchester United and Arsenal have been locked in a transfer tug of war over the past month for Germany World Cup winner Mats Hummels. Both clubs need a new centre-back and have set their sights on the 20 million-rated Borussia Dortmund man, though Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp recently dismissed these rumours as "garbage". Hummels and his teammate Marco Reus have each been linked with moves away following their respective positive seasons for the Bundesliga outfit but Klopp has broken United and Arsenal hearts by laughing off the speculation. "Both will stay here this season," said the charismatic manager. "There is no tendency they'd want to be elsewhere.
Did they also say 20m? When papers mention such numbers you know it's garbage."
The Red Devils and Gunners each have need of a new centre-half with United losing Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic and Arsenal Thomas Vermaelen. But they will have to look elsewhere for new recruits, with Dortmund naming Hummels as their captain for the 2014-15 campaign, apparently dashing there hopes of landing the defender once and for all. Do you think any of these transfers have any chance of happening? What other deals do you think are dead on arrival? Let us know in the comments thread, below.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
