Manchester United will make one last big push to sign either Mats Hummels of Borussia Dortmund or Aymeric Laporte of Athletic Bilbao over the last few days of the window, club sources have told ESPN FC.
The Old Trafford hierarchy had taken the decision to pursue only “top priority” targets and wait until the summer if they could not be bought now, but both Hummels an Laporte fall into that category, and United want to at least test the resolve of their clubs given their own ongoing issues in defence.
While the likelihood is that neither will move in January, sources say the Premier League club have had a little more encouragement over the past two weeks with both targets.
Borussia Dortmund obviously still want to keep Hummels but are privately less intransigent about the idea of a sale than they had been, and those close to the club in Germany think the ground is being prepared to make any eventual exit easier to cover. United put an informal bid in for Hummels as far back as November, sources said, and as yet have not received a flat-out rejection.
Old Trafford officials will attempt to force the situation this weekend, but it is still seen as unlikely that Dortmund will allow the 26-year-old to leave in the middle of such a difficult season.
