Manchester United are interested in Bayern Munich centre-back Matthijs de Ligt, who is unhappy with his playing time at the German champions, according to Fichajes.
The Red Devils invested more than €200 million on signings during the summer transfer window, but they failed to bolster their central defence after Harry Maguire refused to leave.
The club were planning to offload Maguire to re-invest on another centre-back, but the Englishman’s reluctance to part ways meant that they could not sign an upgrade.
This has not ended the speculation over future signings and Fichajes claim that United are keeping tabs on De Ligt, who previously played under Ten Hag at former club Ajax.
De Ligt has managed only 126 minutes of game time for Bayern this term with Kim Min-jae and Dayot Upamecano being the undisputed starters for manager Thomas Tuchel.
As a result, he is contemplating over his future at the club and Bayern would be open to selling him for €80 million. United and Barcelona are mentioned as his admirers.
Fichajes conclude that Ten Hag could play a decisive role in bringing De Ligt to Old Trafford. There could be the possibility of a part-exchange deal between the clubs.
Scott McTominay could be used as a makeweight to sign De Ligt
Scott McTominay was linked with a move away from United over the summer. He was on the radar of Bayern before they tried to sign Joao Palhinha from Fulham on deadline day.
Fulham did not sanction Palhinha’s exit after they failed to land a replacement. The Portuguese has now signed a new contract with the London club which could increase his valuation.
Tuchel has recently identified McTominay as the back-up target and we won’t be surprised if United include him as a makeweight to sign De Ligt during the January transfer window.
However, a deal could depend on several factors. Bayern may want a replacement for the Dutchman first while the Red Devils may not have the funds to pay on top of McTominay.
With the tight Financial Fair Play situation, United may also have to offload Maguire in January in order to afford De Ligt. Hence, a transfer could be difficult to pull off in the next window.
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