Manchester United handed Matthijs de Ligt transfer hope amid Bayern Munich rift talk
Manchester United's hopes of signing Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich may have been boosted by a reported rift between the player and coach Thomas Tuchel
Matthijs de Ligt is reportedly unhappy at Bayern Munich amid rumours of a difficult relationship with coach Thomas Tuchel at the Bavarian club and that could alert Manchester United.
De Ligt was surprisingly left out of the starting line-up by Tuchel for Saturday's top-of-the-table clash at Bayer Leverkusen, with January signing Eric Dier preferred to the Dutchman in a three-man back line alongside Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae.
Bayern were comprehensively beaten by Xabi Alonso's side in a 3-0 defeat which leaves the champions five points off the pace in the title race.
It was thought that De Ligt, who has had injury problems this season, might not have been fit enough to play. But when asked after the match about his condition, he said: "Top fit."
Tuchel had previously insisted that the defender was part of his plans when asked about his situation in January.
"Matthijs came back injured from the national team and missed all pre-season," the German coach said. "We played him a bit too early in the Super Cup, then he got seriously injured again and Min-jae and Upa [Upamecano] were starting games. But of course we're planning with Matthijs, he is our player, a top player and a top character."
However, De Ligt appears unhappy at having been left out of Saturday's match and according to The Mirror, he could consider his options in the summer.
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Manchester United have previously been linked with the 24-year-old, who was the world's most expensive defender when he left Ajax for Juventus in a €75 million deal in 2018.
De Light later moved to Bayern in 2022 for €67m in a deal which could rise to €77m with add-ons and is under contract at the Allianz Arena until 2027.
The Dutch international has made just eight starts in the Bundesliga this season.
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Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.