Man Utd's bid for the ‘Dutch Harry Maguire’: The latest

Carlo Garganese

• 21 Jan 2024 11:50 GMT
• 3 min read

Bayern Munich have made it clear to Manchester United that they are ready to sell Matthijs De Ligt at the end of the season.

De Ligt has fallen well down the pecking order in Munich, and is now at least third-choice centre back at the club under Thomas Tuchel.

According to Sky Germany, Bayern have made it clear to Man Utd and all interested parties that De Ligt is available for sale at the end of the season.

However, a January sale is almost certainly out of the question, despite reports that De Ligt is pushing for a January move.

Man Utd want to sign a centre back

Man Utd are in the market for at least one top centre-back in 2024 as a number of their current central defenders are likely to leave in the summer.

The futures of Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans are in doubt as their contracts are expiring, while Harry Maguire’s future is 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 but he has also struggled at times at Bayern.

This has led to him even being nicknamed the ‘Dutch Harry Maguire’ due to his occasional propensity for clumsy mistakes and a lack of speed when on the turn.

De Ligt could now potentially partner the original Harry Maguire at Old Trafford next season, with Bayern open to a sale.