According to reports from The Express this afternoon, Arsenal have dropped out of the race to sign Borussia Dortmund captain Mats Hummels, leaving Manchester United unopposed in their pursuit of the World Cup-winning centre-back.
Following a 2014/15 campaign in which the Black-Yellows have failed to qualify for the Champions League and resultantly parted with iconic manager Jurgen Klopp, Hummels is widely expected to leave Westfalen this summer – after revealing in April that he’ll be ‘considering his options’ between now and the end of the season, as reported by Sky Sports News.
It’s been billed as a two-horse race between Arsenal and Manchester United by the British tabloids, but the latest comments from manager Arsene Wenger would suggest he doesn’t intend to strengthen at the back this summer.
“Four is enough,” said Wenger, in regards to centre-back options Per Mertesacker, Gabriel Paulista, Calum Chambers and Laurent Koscielny. “Debuchy can play there, Monreal can play there, so you can say we are not out to buy a central defender,” he added.
With Barcelona under transfer embargo until January 2016, Chelsea, Real Madrid and PSG already well-endowed at the heart of defence, a return to boyhood club Bayern Munich unlikely and City not expected to sign another centre-half after spending £32million on Eliaquim Mangala last summer, United appear to have a free run at the £28.5million-rated German international.