Manchester United agreement expected for Matthijs De Ligt deal, following contract talks: report
Manchester United are on the verge of signing Dutch superstar Matthijs De Ligt in a bit to improve their backline.
The Bayern Munich defender is surplus to requirements at the Allianz Arena, with Kicker over in Germany claiming that Bayer Leverkusen's German international, Jonathan Tah, is close to moving to Bavaria. With Vincent Kompany also signing Eric Dier this summer on a permanent transfer, it looks as if De Ligt could be going at an affordable price, too.
Sky journalist Florian Plettenberg previously posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the former Ajax man is wanted by former boss, Erik ten Hag – and now it appears as if a breakthrough has been reached.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag worked with De Ligt in Amsterdam (Image credit: Alamy)
De Telegraaf in the Netherlands reports that “it is expected that an agreement can be reached” over the centre-back moving to Old Trafford, with Manchester United having tabled a bid for the star. A five-year deal has been offered.
A fee as low as €50 million will be enough to secure De Ligt's services, according to Plettenberg, those agent fees may push the price of the deal up overall. Bayern appear to be making a considerable loss on the star, who was reportedly bought for €67m.
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Is FourFourTwo surprised that a deal is this far along for De Ligt? Well, yes and no. Jarrad Branthwaite appears to be a non-starter given how much Everton are demanding for the England international – but we thought that De Ligt would be one of the more expensive options available, too.
With United reportedly wanting to lower the wage bill and recruit smarter rather than bigger, a seismic transfer for a world-renowned 24-year-old seems to go against United's new ethos. Still, there's no denying it's an exciting move for fans.
Jarrad Branthwaite is a non-starter (Image credit: Getty Images)
De Ligt has worked with Ten Hag before, captaining Ajax as a teenager and will be a much-needed leader in the dressing room for United. With fellow Dutchman Zirkzee rumoured, too, it appears the Dutch revolution is continuing.
The Euro 2024 star is valued at €65 million by Transfermarkt.
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