Erik ten Hag has given his approval for Manchester United’s pursuit of Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich. This comes shortly after United secured an £52 million deal for 18-year-old centre-back Leny Yoro from Lille. Despite this acquisition, the club remains open to bolstering their defense further before the transfer window closes.
United have faced setbacks in their efforts to sign Jarrad Branthwaite, with Everton rejecting two bids, the most recent being £45 million plus an additional £5 million in add-ons. Alongside these attempts, discussions have been held with Bayern Munich regarding a potential move for De Ligt. Reports suggest that De Ligt has already had conversations with Ten Hag about joining United.
Bayern Munich is seeking a €50 million (£42 million) fee for De Ligt, who is currently on holiday after participating in Euro 2024 with the Netherlands squad. Ten Hag, who managed De Ligt for over a year at Ajax, admitted to having tried to sign him during his first summer at United. De Ligt eventually joined Bayern in a €77 million (£65.6 million) transfer from Juventus.
“It remains to be seen whether De Ligt will come,” Ten Hag told AD Sportwereld.
“I know Matthijs well and I will not deny that. I wanted to sign him two years ago but at that time he was already very far along to join Bayern Munich but believe it or not, his name did not come from me in the process [at United].”
Despite the current pursuit, Ten Hag clarified that De Ligt’s name did not originate from him during this process at United. Ten Hag explained that the list of transfer targets was finalized by the scouting and recruitment department during his summer holiday but emphasized his involvement in the decision-making process.
“But of course, I support these decisions, let that be clear. We still make these choices together,” Ten Hag said.
“I know it creates a certain image, of course I understand how that works, but eventually, our criterion will prevail above everything else – is the player good or not? Is he the right character? Does he fit the age and quality bracket we are looking for?
“I understand when you do not win, the media maligns you and there is a bad image, but it [nationality] is irrelevant, whether he is from the Netherlands, Sweden, or France. It is just like the colour of hair the player has. It does not matter what the outside world thinks.
“We make decisions together and we jointly arrive at the best possible selection. I firmly believe we are moving in the right direction.”
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