Manchester United Set to Trump Arsenal in Race for Mats Hummels and Sami Khedira

Manchester United have joined Arsenal in the race for Mats Hummels and Sami Khedira, according to the Daily Mail.

The Gunners are reportedly preparing a £32m bid for Hummels, who is Arsene Wenger's top target, to bolster their defence in January. They were close to securing a move for him in the summer but Dortmund's decision to make him the captain persuaded the German international to stay on.

However, with United also interested, a bidding war could ensue between the two Premier League giants for the services of the experienced centre-back.

Louis van Gaal, who has worked with the defender at Bayern Munich, will do everything in his power to bring him to Old Trafford and secure a leaky back four.

The Red Devils have had a tough start to their league campaign, with injuries to several first choice defenders. They have already conceded five goals against the newly-promoted Leicester City.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have not been in safe territory either, collecting only 11 points from their first eight games and going 11 points behind leaders Chelsea, who are taking the league by storm.

The Gunners have Mathieu Debuchy and Laurent Koscielny out to injury which has brought them down to their bare bones.

United are also prepared to rival Arsenal for Sami Khedira, with their prime targets Arturo Vidal and Kevin Strootman unlikely to make the move in January.

Khedira will be available for free in the summer if he fails to sign a new contract with Real Madrid. Any move from United and Arsenal for the German international's signature will not be easy as Carlo Ancelotti has said the midfielder will not leave the Spanish giants in January.

The Gunners need a man in the centre of midfield to screen their defence and the availability of Khedira, who can integrate seamlessly with their German core, will be a major boost to their title hopes.