Arsenal and Man Utd rivalled by PSG for wantaway Bayern star

Tom Weber

• Updated: 29 Jan 2024 16:05 GMT
• 3 min read

PSG have joined Arsenal and Manchester United in the race to sign Matthijs de Ligt, according to French media.

The star centre-back wants out of Bayern Munich in the summer, knowing very well that he will likely be reduced to a backup option once Kim Min-jae returns from Asian Cup duty. Moreover, the Bavarians will be in the market for a big-name defender in the next transfer window, so the Dutchman's days at the Allianz Arena appear numbered despite only arriving in 2022.

Given De Ligt's pedigree, the news of his desire to depart has piqued the interest of Europe's elite. For weeks, Arsenal and Man Utd have been linked with a summer move for the 24-year-old. While it's definitely too early for anything concrete to materialise, it's not hard to see why they would be keen.

The centre-back department is not an area of concern for the Gunners right now, but it could quickly become one should Saudi Arabia come knocking on the door for Gabriel Magalhaes again, as they did in the previous summer. It's a different story at United, with Erik ten Hag preparing for a major summer overhaul of the defence, funded by the incoming investment of Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

PSG enter the fray

However, according to RMC, these Premier League behemoths aren't the only European heavyweights keen on De Ligt. The French outlet reports that PSG are also in the mix as they look to bolster their defence.

PSG's recent draw with Brest once again illustrated that Luis Enrique's side suffers from defensive frailties and De Ligt could be brought in to fix that. Indeed, the Parisians' need for a new centre-back is deemed such a priority that they enquired about the possibility of a January transfer but were rebuffed by Bayern.

This enquiry came in the wake of Lille reiterating their stance that French wonderkid Leny Yoro is not for sale this month. The 18-year-old is one of PSG's top targets but is also being eyed by the likes of Man Utd, Liverpool and Chelsea. Lille's hope is that a major bidding war will break out in the summer.