De Ligt responds to Man Utd transfer approach as Bayern Munich ‘agreement’ claim is made

Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt is now “keen” to join Man Utd and Erik ten Hag in the summer transfer window, according to reports.

The 24-year-old is currently away on international duty with the Netherlands but has yet to play as Ronald Koeman prefers Stefan de Vrij as Virgil van Dijk’s partner.

New Man Utd co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is looking to bring down the age of the Old Trafford squad with reports claiming he’s instructed the recruitment department to only sign players 25 or under .

Another rule Erik ten Hag and the transfer team must follow is ‘no Galacticos’ with Ratcliffe’s comments on a potential move for Kylian Mbappe revealing his thoughts on the profile of player Man Utd should be targeting.

Speaking before Mbappe’s summer move to Real Madrid was confirmed, Ratcliffe said: “What I would rather do, I would rather find the next Mbappe, rather than spend a fortune to just try and buy success.

“It’s not that clever, is it? Buying Mbappe. In a way. Anyone could figure that one out. But what is much more challenging is to find the next Mbappe or the next [Jude] Bellingham or the next Roy Keane.”

On the potential of signing England superstar Jude Bellingham, which the interviewer admitted Man Utd had ‘no chance’ of doing, Ratcliffe added: “He’s a great footballer [but] it’s not where our focus is.

“The solution isn’t spending a lot of money on a couple of great players. They’ve done that, if you look at the last 10 years.

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“The first thing we need to do is get the right people in the right boxes, managing and organising the club.

“We must make sure we get recruitment right, such a vital part of running a football club is getting recruitment right, finding new players.”

Bayern Munich centre-back De Ligt – who has played under Ten Hag in the past at Ajax –  meets Ratcliffe’s reported rule of being 25 or under and The Athletic ‘s David Ornstein reported the Red Devils’ interest in the Netherlands international last week .

And now Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg has revealed that De Ligt is “keen” on a move to Man Utd this summer despite the Premier League side not qualifying for the Champions League.

Plettenberg wrote on X : “Been told Manchester United and FC Bayern are now in contact about a permanent deal of Matthijs de Ligt! Understand De Ligt‘s agent Rafaela Pimenta working on a top solution. De Ligt, keen to join Man Utd and Ten Hag as reported – but there are no total agreements yet. De Ligt can sign a contract until 2029.”