‘Talks have taken place’: Heavily-linked United target ‘has told’ his club he wants a transfer this summer

After several weeks of being linked with the player, David Ornstein confirmed on Friday evening that Manchester United are ‘seriously considering’ a move for Matthijs de Ligt.

Of course, such news came as little surprise to the Old Trafford faithful, as they’re all well aware that Erik ten Hag often prefers to sign players he’s already worked with or coached in some capacity; Antony and Lisandro Martinez followed him almost directly over from Ajax in his first transfer window, while Andre Onana was acquired the following summer.

Should a deal for the Bayern Munich star materialise, Ten Hag would be lining up with the exact centre-half partnership that flourished for him during his time in Amsterdam.

De Ligt, in particular, became one of the hottest and most sought-after prospects in Europe after he captained Ajax to the Champions League semi-finals and a domestic double at just 19 years old. He opted to join Juventus over the host of clubs chasing his signature – including United – and stayed in Turin for three years before making the switch to the Allianz.

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Now, the 24-year-old has seemingly been deemed surplus to requirements by newly-appointed Vincent Kompany, as Florian Plettenberg has claimed on more than one occasion that the defender has been transfer-listed along with several other members of the squad.

De Ligt prepares for Allianz exit

HITC has also revealed this morning that, to their understanding, the Netherlands international ‘has told’ Bayern he wants to leave this summer and that ‘talks have taken place’ between the Germans and interested Premier League outfits.

He already faced competition from the likes of Dayot Upamecano, Kim Min-jae and Eric Dier last season, but the club have now welcomed Hiroki Ito to their ranks and are also in talks with Jonathan Tah.

It remains to be seen what kind of price the Bavarians will demand to sanction De Ligt’s exit. For United, they’re aware that he will cost significantly less than Jarrad Branthwaite, although they’ve not given up on the Everton ace just yet.