We all remember the Mats Hummels transfer saga. The German international was constantly linked with a move to Manchester dating back as far as Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign. A lot of the time, transfer saga’s such as that of Nicolas Gaitan or Wesley Sneijder’s can drag on for years but are based off very little real information. However, in the case of Mats Hummels, it seems that in 2014 his proposed move to Manchester United was a lot more than just a rumour.

Now at Bayern Munich, Hummels has revealed he was “very close” to joining Manchester United back in the summer of 2014 when Louis van Gaal came calling for his services. The centre back was, and still is, regarded as one of the finest defender’s in the world – so any potential move to United was enough to send fans into madness. It turned out that the German was destined to stay on at Dortmund for yet another year before joining bitter rivals Bayern Munich the following year, leaving fans in Manchester to wonder ‘what if’.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Hummels told of just how close his move to Manchester was: “Yes, very close. There were talks, several times in the last few years.” he said.

“I had offers from England or one of the three big Spanish clubs. But nothing got close like from England. Van Gaal wanted me but he wasn’t the only one. It is difficult for me to play in England now. I’m 28 next month and I’ve signed here for five years.”

[Quotes sourced via Sky Sports]

So it was never to be for Hummels, another centre back who broke the hearts of eager United fans. But with the January transfer window fast approaching, it will be interesting to see if Mourinho adds to his squad – especially in the centre back position. Eric Bailly looks to be the strongest defender in the squad, but is also the most inexperienced aged just 22 and having no previous English football experience. Smalling has a lot of question marks surrounding his future, and has had a tough start to the 16/17 season, whilst Phil Jones has returned to action with a bang under Mourinho – surprising us all. Marcos Rojo remains as one of the favourites to leave Old Trafford in the next window.