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Manchester United have seen a €35 million bid for defender Matthijs de Ligt turned down by Bayern Munich.
Christian Falk, a German football expert, reveals the Red Devils have seen their opening offer for the 24-year-old Dutch international rejected but that negotiations between the clubs continue.
Manchester United offer €35 Mio for Matthijs de Ligt (24). FC Bayern has rejected the offer
❇️ FC Bayern demand €50 Mio plus add-ons
❇️ Bayern have to sell players to buy new players
❇️ Negotiations between the clubs continue@BILD_Sport @altobelli13— Christian Falk (@cfbayern) July 22, 2024
Tweet: “Manchester United offer €35 Mio for Matthijs de Ligt (24). FC Bayern has rejected the offer. FC Bayern demand €50 Mio plus add-ons. Bayern have to sell players to buy new players. Negotiations between the clubs continue @BILD_Sport @altobelli13.”
Falk states that Bayern “have to sell to buy new players” and are pushing for a €50 million price with add-ons to sell De Ligt.
Big-money moves for Michael Olise (Crystal Palace) and Joao Palhinha (Fulham) have drained the German giant’s transfer budget, while cheaper deals for Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur) and Hiroki Ito (VfB Stuttgart) have made De Ligt surplus to requirements.
The Dutchman has been informed by Bayern officials they want him to depart and he is open to a reunion with Erik ten Hag in Manchester. The pair previously enjoyed great success together at Ajax where Ten Hag made De Ligt his captain, despite the centre-back only being 18 at the time.
United have prioritised reinforcements in central defence this summer after last season was decimated by repeated injuries to centre-backs.
Jarrad Branthwaite was the early front-runner in the window but a compromise could not be reached with Everton over a reasonable fee for a player with only one year of top-flight experience in the Premier League.
Instead, with INEOS officials working quietly in the background, United were able to strike a sensational €70 million deal for Leny Yoro – the 18-year-old French centre-back at LOSC Lille, widely seen throughout Europe as the “generational talent” in defence over the next decade – under the noses of Real Madrid.
However, following the departures of Raphael Varane and Willy Kambwala, as well as the ongoing uncertainty over the futures of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, United are keen to recruit at least one more central defender to their ranks, in addition to Yoro.
With Everton unwilling to yield on their valuation of Branthwaite, Old Trafford officials had turned their attention to De Ligt, where it was felt a cut-price deal could be struck given Bayern’s need to sell.
The two clubs have been locked in negotiations over a move in recent weeks and there is positivity on both sides a compromise can be reached.
This offer of €35 million was never going to be accepted by Bayern but it is an opening gambit to kick-start negotiations. With the German club wanting an additional €15 million to sanction a transfer, a compromise in the region of €40-45 million (£33-38 million) feels a likely outcome given the mutual desire for the transfer on both sides.
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