June 28th 2024.
According to recent reports, Manchester United is currently considering Matthijs de Ligt as a potential addition to their team of centre-backs. However, it seems that the club has informed Bayern Munich that they are not willing to meet their asking price for the 24-year-old defender.
United is currently in search of a new central defender, especially after the departure of Raphael Varane. They have already made a bid of £45 million for Jarrad Branthwaite from Everton, but it was turned down. Everton is said to be holding out for a deal worth more than £70 million for the 20-year-old, who is at the top of United's list for this position.
Despite Branthwaite being their main target, the club is also exploring other options, and De Ligt is one of the names on their shortlist. According to Christian Falk's column for CaughtOffside, Bayern is demanding a fee of €70 million for De Ligt this summer. However, United has made it clear that they are only willing to pay around €35 million for the talented defender.
It was also reported earlier this month by Sky Germany that Bayern would be open to accepting a lower fee of around €50 million from United, as the club is working with a limited budget for this summer's transfer window. It's worth noting that De Ligt's former coach at Ajax, Erik ten Hag, is still a big admirer of the defender, having worked with him for a little over a season.
De Ligt was signed by Bayern from Juventus for a whopping €77 million in July 2022. However, due to injuries, he has only been able to start 16 games in the Bundesliga last season. When asked about his future at Bayern, De Ligt, who is currently with the Netherlands squad for Euro 2024, stated that he is solely focused on the tournament and cannot think about his situation at the moment.
He also added that he is happy at Bayern, having completed his second season with the club. However, the defender did not rule out a potential move in the future, stating that he will see what happens after the Euros. Meanwhile, Bayern is already in talks to sign Jonathan Tah from Bayer Leverkusen as they are looking to bring in at least one new centre-back this summer.
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