Manchester United target Matthijs de Ligt could be heading to Old Trafford this summer after a senior Bayern Munich figure dropped a big transfer hint on Sunday.
United have already signed one centre-back this summer, with French youngster Leny Yoro having arrived from Lille, but the Red Devils remain keen on bringing in De Ligt.
The Dutch defender is only 24 years old and has already played for Ajax, Juventus and Bayern in his short career, but he could be on the move again after just two seasons at the Allianz Arena.
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Bayern legend and former president Uli Hoeness, now a supervisory board member at the Munich club, has been speaking about the Bavarians’ transfer plans in a chat with journalist Maximilian Koch in an event for local amateur side Seligenporten.
He said: “No more players will come unless two or three players leave first. [Bayern directors] Max Eberl and Christoph Freund know full well that no one will come unless one or two prominent players leave.”
And asked specifically about De Ligt, he said: “It is possible that a defender will still leave. De Ligt is Dutch, and the coach at Man Utd is Dutch. I would have no problem if he stayed. Personally, I would not sell [Dayot] Upamecano.”
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Matthijs de Ligt and Erik ten Hag at Ajax in 2018. (Image credit: Getty Images)
De Ligt and Ten Hag worked together at Ajax before the defender joined Juventus in 2019 and the coach moved to United in 2022.
The Dutch defender was not first choice towards the end of last season under Thomas Tuchel, but the club’s fans are opposed to his sale, with over 70,000 having signed a petititon against a possible transfer for the 24-year-old.
In FourFourTwo‘s view, this move could well go ahead. Ten Hag knows De Ligt well and even if the fans are against his exit, Bayern will probably be happy to cash in on the defender, who would reportedly cost £42 million. This could be a good move for Manchester United and working with a coach who was an important in his development at Ajax may help him settle after a somewhat turbulent few seasons since leaving the Amsterdam club.
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