Manchester United want £70m Bundesliga defender with Erik ten Hag links: report

Erik ten Hag the head coach / manager of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Burnley FC and Manchester United at Turf Moor on September 23, 2023 in Burnley, England.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Manchester United are reportedly keen on Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt. 

The centre-back, 24, only joined Bayern from Juventus in July last year, but he is said to be unhappy with his lack of playing time for the Bundesliga champions.

De Ligt – who has won 43 caps for the Netherlands – previously played under United boss Erik ten Hag at Ajax, who sold him to Juve for €75m (£67.8m) in the summer of 2019.

Matthijs de Ligt of FC Bayern Muenchen walks to the bench during the UEFA Champions League Group A match between FC Bayern München and Manchester United at Allianz Arena on September 20, 2023 in Munich, Germany.

Matthijs de Ligt has made just two starts for Bayern Munich this season (Image credit: Getty Images)

According to Fichajes, Man United are monitoring De Ligt with a view to a potential move – which could contain a surprise swap element.

Scott McTominay was linked with a shock switch to Bayern during the last transfer window, before the Bavarian giants came close to signing Joao Palhinha from Fulham – only for that deal to fall through.

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Could McTominay be used as a makeweight in a bid for De Ligt? Perhaps – and United might well need that kind of helping hand.

Transfermarkt currently values De Ligt at €75m (£65), with Bayern thought to price him at €80m (£69m).

Scott McTominay of Manchester United gestures during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford on August 14, 2023 in Manchester, England.

Scott McTominay was also linked with West Ham this summer (Image credit: Getty Images)

Man United were rumoured to be chasing De Ligt's former Bayern teammate Benjamin Pavard over the summer – but the France defender ultimately joined Inter Milan.

There was just one new defensive arrival at Old Trafford ahead of the 2023/24 campaign: Jonny Evans, who penned a one-year contract after initially returning to United on a short-term basis to play in pre-season.

More Manchester United transfer stories

The window may be closed for now, but Manchester United transfer news keeps coming thick and fast.

United are reportedly chasing a £43m South American wonderkid, but they could face stiff competition from Chelsea.

The Red Devils are also being linked with a stunning January swoop for an ex-Arsenal forward.

Meanwhile, Barcelona may provide a way out of Old Trafford for two out-of-favour stars.

Tom Hancock

Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...