Ornstein drops fresh bombshell that United are ‘seriously considering’ pursuit of for-sale Bayern ace

A brand-new update from the ever-reliable David Ornstein this evening has revealed that Manchester United are ‘seriously considering’ a move for Matthijs de Ligt.

It’ll come as no surprise to the Old Trafford faithful, as the centre-half is one of Erik ten Hag’s former protegees from his Ajax tenure.

🚨 Man Utd seriously considering move to sign Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich. No club talks yet or certainty move happens but #FCBayern centre-back increasingly viable option for #MUFC. Independent of ongoing Jarrad Branthwaite interest @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/dGlCa24TDI

— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) June 28, 2024

When outlets confirmed that he would be staying in the dugout long-term, it reportedly came with the premise that the manager would take a backseat on transfer dealings from now on. Instead, such matters would be left to the likes of technical director Jason Wilcox.

However, these links to De Ligt do have Ten Hag written all over them. Throughout the player’s final season in Amsterdam, the then-19-year-old captained Ajax to the Champions League semi-finals and a domestic double, earning widespread plaudits across the campaign and quickly becoming one of the most sought-after prospects in Europe.

He opted to sign for Juventus, where he stayed for three years before making the switch to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

Now, he’s seemingly been deemed surplus to requirements ahead of Vincent Kompany’s maiden campaign at the Allianz, as the Germans are open to sanctioning his exit should the right offer come in this summer.

Read more: 19 goal contributions last season – United run the rule over attacker at Euro 2024

What Ornstein has said about De Ligt

Ornstein’s report adds that the Netherlands international, currently at Euro 2024, is ‘viewed as an increasingly viable candidate’ to ‘strengthen their [United’s] back line intensity’.

Any potential pursuit of De Ligt will hold no influence over the Reds’ separate attempts to agree a deal for Jarrad Branthwaite, who is a significantly more expensive option given that Everton value the 22-year-old at £70 million.