Manchester United Contemplate a Move for Bayern Munich’s De Ligt
Manchester United is reportedly expressing interest in securing the services of Bayern Munich’s defender, Matthijs de Ligt.
The 24-year-old center-back, who recently transferred from Juventus to Bayern Munich in July of last year, is allegedly dissatisfied with his limited playing time at the Bundesliga champions.
De Ligt, who has earned 43 caps for the Netherlands national team, previously played under the management of United’s Erik ten Hag during his time at Ajax. It was from Ajax that he was sold to Juventus for a sum of €75 million (£67.8 million) in the summer of 2019.
According to reports from Fichajes, Manchester United is closely monitoring De Ligt with an eye toward a potential move, and this transfer might even involve a surprising swap deal.
During the previous transfer window, Scott McTominay was linked to a surprising switch to Bayern Munich, especially before the Bavarian giants were on the verge of signing Joao Palhinha from Fulham, although that deal ultimately collapsed.
Could it be that McTominay could now be used as a makeweight in a potential deal for De Ligt? This scenario is not beyond the realm of possibility, especially considering the challenges United is currently facing.
As per Transfermarkt, De Ligt is currently valued at €75 million (£65 million), while Bayern Munich is believed to have set his price at €80 million (£69 million).
Manchester United had previously been linked with Benjamin Pavard, a former teammate of De Ligt at Bayern, during the summer transfer window. However, the French defender ultimately chose to join Inter Milan.
In preparation for the 2023/24 campaign, Manchester United only welcomed one new defensive signing: Jonny Evans, who signed a one-year contract extension after initially rejoining the club on a short-term basis for participation in pre-season.