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Manchester United have officially made new steps in the pursuit of Bayern Munich’s Matthijs de Ligt. The Red Devils have now submitted an offer to the Bundesliga club, marking progress to sign the young centre-back.
This summer has seen an intense play from United to sign de Ligt, with the defender’s shortlisting being heavily supported by Erik ten Hag himself.
Whilst recently it’s been reported that the recruitment team were the ones to suggest the centre-back, ten Hag was very happy with the decision.
Erik ten Hag’s relationship with de Ligt
The Dutch manager has a longstanding appreciation for de Ligt after managing the 24-year-old at Ajax. While there, ten Hag saw immense promise in the centre-back, awarding him with his first captainship of a club. This move was a successful one with the team winning the Eredivisie and the Toto KNVB Beker cup that season, rewarding the brave move of ten Hag’s by making such a young player a club captain.
Now ten Hag wants to reunite with his coveted defender, with de Ligt also keen, praising his former manager.
The Premier League club and defender have now agreed personal terms, with the two Dutchman in regular conversations with each other. Manchester United now only need to agree a fee with Bayern in order to get the deal across the line.
United’s initial offer to Bayern Munich for de Ligt
Now, news from Christian Falk of BILD Sport report that United have now made an offer to the Bundesliga club.
The offer from United for the defender stood at €35 million, with Bayern rejecting the initial bid. The German club want €50 million plus add-ons for the defender, making United’s bid €15 million short of their valuation. However, negotiations are still ongoing between the two clubs to come to an agreement. Bayern are experiencing pressure as the club need to offload players before they can sign anyone new to the squad.
This pressure on the German club could bode well for United, potentially putting weight on the club to agree beneath their target value. United want to be signing players as cheaply as possible with their limited starting budget leaving little room for expenses.
Manchester United offer €35 Mio for Matthijs de Ligt (24). FC Bayern has rejected the offer
FC Bayern demand €50 Mio plus add-ons
Bayern have to sell players to buy new players
Negotiations between the clubs continue@BILD_Sport @altobelli13— Christian Falk (@cfbayern) July 22, 2024
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