- 3 hours ago
Man Utd’s hopes of signing number one defensive target are OVER
Carlo Garganese
- 26 Mar 2024 12:15 GMT
- 3 min read
Manchester United’s hopes of signing Matthijs de Ligt this summer are all but over after the Dutch centre back revealed that he won’t be leaving Bayern Munich.
De Ligt had fallen down the pecking order at Bayern this season, leading the centre back pushing for a transfer away from the club in January.
Bayern refused to sell in the winter market but Sky Germany and others reported at the time that De Ligt was available for sale at the end of the season.
READ MORE: Latest Man Utd transfer news
Man Utd had reportedly made De Ligt their top summer centre back target but the defender has now quashed those rumours, remarking that neither he nor teammate Jamal Musiala will be departing.
What did De Ligt say?
“Me and Musiala to leave Bayern? Where to go, on holiday?,” De Ligt said.
“But no, I don't think so. I hope for us and for Bayern that we'll both stay. That's what I'm assuming too.”
Having lost his place in the Bayern team, De Ligt has become an important player again in recent weeks.
He has regained his first-team spot, pushing Kim Min-Jae to the bench.
READ MORE: Latest Man Utd transfer rumours
Bayern are also now happy again with De Ligt and have no plans to sell him.
Man Utd are in the market for at least one top centre-back in the summer as a number of their current central defenders are likely to leave in the summer.
The futures of Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans are in doubt as their contracts are expiring, while Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire’s futures are not secure either.
Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag is a big fan of De Ligt having worked with him at Ajax.
During that time De Ligt emerged as arguably the most promising young centre back in Europe before signing for Juventus in the summer of 2019.
However, he never lived up to his potential at Juve, who sold him to Bayern Munich in 2022 for €80 million.
De Ligt signed a five-year contract in Bavaria that runs until 2027.
