Manchester United’s move for Bayern Munich’s Matthijs de Ligt is progressing quickly as the club begin making moves in the transfer market.
i understands United and Bayern have begun talks over a cut price £34m deal and aim to get the switch completed swiftly to allow new co-owners Ineos and sporting director Dan Ashworth, now in situ, to continue their squad overhaul.
The 24-year-old Netherlands international has been a consistent performer at Bayern and has a close connection with Erik ten Hag, who made him captain at Ajax. He is also popular among Bayern fans, with supporters starting an online petition with over 15,000 signatures urging their club to retain his services.
United are also making progress on talks with Bologna for De Ligt’s international teammate Joshua Zirkzee, who is available for a similar price. Ashworth’s arrival is expected to speed along both deals, with hope the two transfers can be completed in the next week. Paris Saint-Germain’s Manuel Ugarte is on the list of midfield options being considered.
De Ligt is reportedly keen move to the Premier League and is even understood to be willing to take a pay cut in order to secure his pathway to England.
The move suits all parties. As well the incentive of getting his substantial wages off the books, i understands Bayern require cash to complete a move for their prime defensive summer target – Germany international Jonathan Tah – with De Ligt attracting the most interest of their current defensive crop.
Joao Palhinha’s imminent transfer to Munich has made a dent in their summer pot.
Eric Dier is well liked in Munich, while Kim Min-jae and France’s Dayot Upamecano are not likely to be moved on. Bayern value De Ligt at a higher price, but it is understood they would be willing to come down to accept a deal for around €40m (around £34m) plus add-ons to push through a quicker sale.
With a proper hierarchical structure in place – Ashworth joins alongside technical director Jason Wilcox and soon-to-begin CEO Omar Berrada – Ten Hag still retains a say in transfers, with no move expected to be made without his say-so.
However, the United boss is still expected to take more of a backseat than in his previous two seasons in terms of identifying players to sign.
After taking over at Ajax in 2017, Ten Hag made De Ligt the club’s youngest-ever skipper as they went on to win both the Eredivisie and the Dutch KNVB Cup in 2018-19.
They also reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in the same campaign, where they lost in heartbreaking fashion to Tottenham. De Ligt then joined Juventus before moving to Bayern in 2022. Should he join United, he will play alongside a host of Ajax alumni including Antony, Lisandro Martinez, Andre Onana, Donny van de Beek and Christian Eriksen at Old Trafford.
Even if De Ligt is recruited, United still remain in the market for another centre-back this summer. With injury concerns persisting over Martinez and Raphael Varane having departed, they are especially short in that department ahead of the new season.
Jarrad Branthwaite remains their first pick as a left-sided centre-back, but United are currently not planning to return with a second bid for the 22-year-old unless Everton drop their asking price.
Much of United’s remaining transfer business will depend on how many players they can sell before now and the end of the summer transfer window. Jadon Sancho and Mason Greenwood are attracting plenty of interest from clubs across Europe but no bids have yet been received.
Brazilian midfielder Casemiro is another United are looking to move on, with interested persisting from Saudi Arabia. Defenders Victor Lindelof and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have also been heavily linked with moves away from Old Trafford.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/OcUbVQu
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