Manchester United are close to completing their second signing of the summer transfer window.
The Red Devils announced the arrival of Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna on Sunday and they are now in discussions with Bayern Munich to sign his compatriot Matthijs de Ligt.
The centre-back has already agreed personal terms with United and Bild (page 14) claim that ‘an agreement is in sight’ with Bayern also prepared to part ways with the 24-year-old.
The Bundesliga giants are requesting £42 million plus bonuses for the Netherlands international, who has been described as a ‘full-blown superstar‘ by Bundesliga’s official website.
De Ligt has been with Bayern for the past two seasons, but he looks set for a new challenge.
The Munich heavyweights have already signed Hiroki Ito to bolster their central defence. They are aiming to sign Bayer Leverkusen captain Jonathan Tah as a replacement for De Ligt.
Hence, it is only a matter of time before they sanction his transfer to United. The Dutchman should be a quality signing for the Red Devils with his strong ball-playing attributes.
He had a passing accuracy of almost 94 percent in the Bundesliga last term. The Ajax graduate won 60 percent of his duels with 3.3 recoveries and 2.4 clearances per outing.
De Ligt should be well versed with manager Erik ten Hag’s playing style after their time together in Amsterdam. The 54-year-old managed him for two-and-a-half seasons.
Aside from De Ligt, United are actively working to land another young centre-back. They are growing optimistic of signing Leny Yoro. Lille have already accepted their offer.
Yoro has been holding out for a move to Real Madrid, but they are yet to match United’s bid. He is expected to take a final decision over his future in the coming days.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com
