Manchester United are reportedly in line to land Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels by the end of the week.
According to Catalan publication Sport, the Red Devils have reached an agreement with their Bundesliga counterparts and expect the Germany international to fly to Manchester for advanced negotiations.
United officials do not anticipate any last-minute setbacks with personal terms or the player’s medical, given that he came through this summer’s World Cup in Brazil unscathed.
If the deal, thought to be in the region of £18million, goes through, Hummels will become the club’s third summer signing following the arrival of left-back Luke Shaw and midfield man Ander Herrera from Southampton and Athletic Bilbao respectively.
Crucially, he will be the first acquisition since new manager Louis van Gaal officially took charge, after leading his Holland side to third place in the World Cup.
Hummels tasted success in the competition by lifting the trophy after a tight contest in the final against Argentina, which Joachim Low’s side won 1-0 after extra-time courtesy of a Mario Gotze strike.
United are in urgent need of central defenders after losing long-serving duo Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic on free transfers earlier on in the summer.
At 25, Hummels is the perfect age to establish his own legacy in the coming years.