Manchester United have received a boost in their pursuit of Matthijs de Ligt after Bayern Munich reached an agreement ‘in principle’ to sign one of their top defensive targets.
According to The Athletic, terms have been agreed with United on a five-year contract, with an option to extend for an additional 12 months. The 24-year-old defender, who has been in discussions with Erik ten Hag this summer, is now waiting for both clubs to finalize the transfer fee agreement.
United have discussed the possibility of signing De Ligt from Bayern, but they have reportedly declined to meet Bayern’s €50 million (£42m) asking price for the Netherlands international. Recent reports indicate that De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, another target, were left perplexed when Bayern rejected Manchester United’s initial double offer for both players.
It has now been revealed that Bayern have reached a preliminary agreement with Bayer Leverkusen to acquire center-back Jonathan Tah.
According to Kicker, the transfer for Jonathan Tah is expected to be around €25 million, plus an additional €5 million in performance-related bonuses. However, Bayern cannot finalize Tah’s signing until De Ligt is sold to Manchester United. Bayern is holding out for €50 million for De Ligt, but the two clubs are still significantly apart on their valuation. The report notes that once Bayern and Manchester United agree on De Ligt’s transfer, there will be no obstacles to Tah’s move to Munich.
Erik ten Hag has publicly addressed United’s continued efforts to sign the defender.
Erik ten Hag acknowledged his familiarity with Matthijs, stating, “I’m not going to deny that,” in an interview with Dutch publication AD Sportwereld. “Two years ago, I wanted to bring him in, but he was already very advanced in his negotiations with Bayern Munich.” He added, “We still have to wait and see if De Ligt will join us.”
