Man Utd SHOCKED by Matthijs de Ligt price

Tom Weber

Updated: 3 Jul 2024 18:08 BST
4 min read

Manchester United are totally surprised by the fee Bayern Munich are demanding for Matthijs de Ligt, according to a report.

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The Red Devils appear to be closing in on their first summer signing at last. While Chelsea have already snapped up five players, Man Utd have been slow to get off the mark despite the fact that Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to make two major signings before the start of pre-season.

While this is likely overly ambitious, it is true that the Manchester giants could be in a position to announce their first new recruit before long. In recent days, talks with the camp of Matthijs de Ligt have swiftly progressed.

Bayern Munich are keen to sell as they need to raise funds and the Dutchman, currently at Euro 2024, is not willing to accept being the fourth or fifth-choice centre-back in Munich.

Personal terms between De Ligt and Man Utd are not expected to be a problem and the 24-year-old has already given the green light to a potential move, while his former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag is desperate to land him.

Man Utd surprised by De Ligt price

According to Ben Jacobs, there are two quite simple reasons why Man Utd are now pushing hard to secure De Ligt's signature. One is that they want to bolster their defence and sign at least two new centre-backs.

The other, more intriguing reason is that De Ligt is much more affordable than they expected and indeed thought possible. Jacobs initially reported that Man Utd were unlikely to make a move for the Dutchman as they simply don't have the budget.

However, that was before Bayern set their price for the defender. It has now been revealed that the Bavarians are ready to sell for a fee in the region of €50m upfront with bonuses on top.

This makes De Ligt significantly cheaper than Old Trafford chiefs anticipated and there is even a suggestion that he could take a pay cut to get out of Bayern, which makes him even more attractive.

De Ligt's stocks have gradually fallen since his Ajax days, but Man Utd will feel that they are getting a good deal here for a 24-year-old who is already the most expensive defender in the history of football in terms of combined transfer fees.

Read more about: Bundesliga, Premier League, Bayern, Man Utd, Matthijs de Ligt