Ten Hag's nightmare! De Ligt addresses Man Utd links amid new Bayern twist

22 Mar 2024 16:06 GMT
4 min read

Matthijs de Ligt, Erik ten Hag — © IMAGO

Matthijs de Ligt can easily move up one place in the defensive hierarchy at Bayern Munich next season.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter are looking to secure the arrival of Kim Min-jae, who could return to Serie A after just one season. De Ligt was previously the subject of discussion in connection with a possible departure from Bayern.

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Bayern paid almost €70 million in the summer of 2022 to poach De Ligt from Juventus. In his first season, the 43-time Dutch international was a permanent fixture, but this season he is anything but an undisputed starter.

Partly due to injuries, De Ligt has had to miss 11 matches, but after the turn of the year, he benefited from the absence of his competitors Dayot Upamecano and Kim. The centre-back has played the full 90 minutes in nine of his last 11 games.

Kim out, De Ligt in at Bayern?

On Friday, the 24-year-old central defender spoke out about his future plans. De Ligt has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in recent months, but this reporting appears to be incorrect. "If I don't play, then a link is immediately made, saying that I'm not satisfied and want to leave," De Ligt told Voetbal International.

"Of course, there have also been matches that I would have liked to play, but I really have no reason to complain. I am still having a great time at Bayern Munich and have been playing regularly again lately. I never let myself go crazy about rumours, stay close to myself and know what the reality is."

Kim, meanwhile, who was signed by Bayern from Napoli for €50m last summer, was a starter in southern Germany just before the New Year. However, he was away with South Korea at the Asian Cup at the beginning of this year, which meant he had to miss five matches.

After his return to Bayern in February, he was trusted by Thomas Tuchel in the starting lineup four more times, but he had to start from the bench in the last three games and was not even allowed to come on in the last two games.

The defender recently admitted that this is an unusual situation for him. In light of this, FootballTransfers explained that it would make sense for Man Utd to reignite their interest in him ahead of the summer, but there is stiff competition.

Francesco Acerbi may be suspended for racism

Inter are closely monitoring Kim's situation. The 27-year-old is highly regarded in Italy due to his successful year at Napoli and is seen by the Nerrazurri as a replacement for the disgraced Francesco Acerbi.

However, Kim still has a contract with Bayern until 2028, which makes a permanent transfer seem out of the question. A loan deal, on the other hand, would be a possibility.

According to Napoli's Juan Jesus, the aforementioned Acerbi really let himself go in the recent meeting between Inter and the reigning champions on Sunday.

The 36-year-old central defender was accused of racist statements by the Brazilian during the match and the veteran was subsequently expelled from the Italian national team.

A departure from Inter in the summer is a possibility, as Acerbi has a contract until 2025 and faces a potential ten-match suspension.