Barca battle United for star defenders

Cape Town - Manchester United are still looking to sign Arsenal's Thomas Vermaelen and Dortmund's Mats Hummels ahead of the 2014/15 English Premiership season.

The Express reports that Manchester United will now have to battle Barcelona for the two defenders.

Luis Enrique is interested in bringing both Thomas Vermaelen and Mats Hummels to Spain with concerns over the defensive capabilities of his side.

Reports suggest Enrique has approached both Arsenal and Dortmund over the possibility of signing the pair and is likely to bid on the players.

With Arsene Wenger open to the idea of Vermaelen leaving, it appears that Manchester United will now need to beat Barcelona if they want the Belgian in their lineup ahead of the English Premiership season which kicks off on August 16.

The chase for Hummels is far more complicated with Jurgen Klopp's desire to keep the player no matter the bid.

It is believed that Manchester United are ready to bid as much as £30 million for the German World Cup winner in order to nullify the threat of Barcelona, who have spent big this summer on Luis Suarez.