Manchester United's bid to sign Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich this summer seem to have been strengthened following the comments of honorary president Uli Hoeness. It has been long discussed in the media whether the Dutchman would still be in Bavaria next season.

United have been seeking to strengthen the defence after the departure of Raphael Varane in the summer but have signed Leny Yoro from Lille already this summer. There is an interest for United to offload the likes of Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire this summer, making space for new signings.

De Ligt worked with United manager Erik ten Hag whilst playing for Ajax and the duo would like to be reunited at the Old Trafford club, a club that was interested in the Dutchman before he signed for Juventus, missing out to the Italian club. United have made a move for De Ligt, which was rejected.

It has also been heavily reported that United have been given the green light from De Ligt regarding the transfer and agreeing personal terms with the Old Trafford club, which seems rather advanced for something that may not actually happen. United just need to agree on a fee with Bayern.

The will be the main problem in this potential deal as Bayern will want to profit from the sale of the player, who has no future at the club, rather than lose money as they will need to be active in the market to find a replacement, selling players in order to rebuild ahead of the new season.

Negotiations seem to be at am impasse at this stage of the summer but there is still a good chance that United end up signing De Ligt before the summer transfer window closes at 11pm on the 30 August 2024, giving United a lot of time to structure something regarding the completion of the deal.

Hoeness spoke to the media this week regarding the potential sale of De Ligt, stating that the player could be leaving the club this summer but also stating that his teammate, Dayot Upamecano would not be leaving Bavara this summer. United could sort out this transfer easily. Hoeness said:

"It's possible that a defender will leave. I would have no problem if [De Ligt] stays. Personally, I would not sell Upamecano."

Written by Paul