Manchester United open talks for Bayern Munich star Matthijs de Ligt
Manchester United are looking to acquire Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt; however, the Red Devils will not meet the asking price of the German giants for the 24-year-old’s services this summer, per Metro.
There is a dire need for a new defender at Old Trafford in the ongoing summer transfer window as the Red Devils lose the central-defensive duo of Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans this off-season. The club now have a particular need for a central defender this summer; they need a left-sided centre-back, and Bayern defender Matthijs de Ligt could be the marquee signing that they are craving desperately for.
The Manchester Reds have already seen a £45 million bid rejected from Everton for their priority CB target Jarrad Branthwaite last month, with the Blues looking for a fee in the region of £70 million. However, the club is also exploring alternatives to the one-capped England international, and they have landed on the Dutch centre-back.
Transfer fee stalemate threatens deal
The Bavarians are looking for a €70 million (£59.3 million) fee for Matthijs de Ligt this summer, per Bild’s Christian Falk in his column for CaughtOffside. However, Manchester United have indicated that they are willing to pay half of the asking figure, which aggregates to around €35m (£29.6m) for the 24-year-old. There are expectations that the Bundesliga giants would accept a fee in the region of €50 million (£42 million) owing to the financial constraints that United are dealing with this summer transfer window.
It is said that Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag holds Matthijs de Ligt highly after working with him for a season during the pair’s shared time at Ajax.
Bayern Munich acquired De Ligt for €77m (£65.6m) in July 2022 from Juventus. The 24-year-old has struggled with inconsistent injuries during his stay in Germany. Last season, the Dutch ace only started 16 games in the German top tier.
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Bringing in a physical and technical option in Matthijs de Ligt would be a massive could for United, and the fee quoted looks more than fair with respect to the quality that the Ajax academy graduate possesses. We will see how this transfer progresses in the coming weeks.
