Erik ten Hag confirms Man Utd in talks to complete next transfer - 'wait and see'

Erik ten Hag has confirmed that talks are underway to take Matthijs de Ligt to Manchester United. However, he was quick to point out that the idea wasn't solely his.

United recently secured the services of Leny Yoro from Lille but they're still on the hunt for another center-back. Raphael Varane left upon his contract's expiry and Willy Kambwala was sold to Villarreal, while Victor Lindelof could also be on his way out.

De Ligt is no stranger to Ten Hag, having played under him at Ajax before making the move to Bayern Munich. If he does make the switch to United , he'll be joining a growing Dutch contingent at the club, which includes new striker Joshua Zirkzee and coaches Ruud van Nistelrooy, Rene Hake and Jelle ten Rouwelaar.

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While it may appear that Ten Hag is pulling all the strings, he insists that every new signing De Ligt included is a joint decision with the new structure implemented by owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

''We still have to wait and see whether De Ligt will come," Ten Hag told Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dadblad . "But the good thing is, during my vacation I was out of the process for three or four weeks. During that period it was really the club, the newly established scouting and recruitment department, that brought in these players.

"The fact that there are also Dutch players among them is actually a coincidence. Primarily these were players who were brought in by our organization. But of course I support them, let that be clear and we still make the choice together."

It was revealed that one condition for Ten Hag to stay on as manager was to limit his involvement in the transfer market. With the arrival of new Sporting director Dan Ashworth, technical director Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada, a change may be in the wind; however, it seems as if Ten Hag is retaining some influence.

''I know Matthijs well, of course, I'm not going to deny that," he said. "Two years ago I already wanted to get him, but he was already very far along with Bayern Munich. But believe it or not: he didn't come specifically from my head in this process.

I know that it creates a certain image, of course I understand how that works," adding "But ultimately the criterion that counts above all else is: is the player good or not good? Does he fit in terms of character, age and of course the quality that we are looking for."

Liverpool.com says: A lot has been made of Ten Hag signing players he has previously worked with and for the most part, those moves haven't worked out for United. De Ligt looks set to be the latest on the list but he is certainly an upgrade on United's current options.