Man United given asking price by Bayern Munich to complete the signing of star defender Matthijs de Ligt

Man United given asking price by Bayern Munich for Matthijs de Ligt

Bayern Munich will demand a €50 million (£42m) transfer fee from Manchester United for Matthijs de Ligt, according to reports in Germany.

The Reds have made the signing of a new centre-back one of their priorities for the summer transfer window following the departure of Raphael Varane.

Jarrad Branthwaite is one of the leading candidates on United’s shortlist but their opening offer of £45m has been rejected with United set to offer improved bid

United are ready to walk away if a deal for Branthwaite proves to be too expensive as Everton are holding out for a fee in excess of £70m for the 21-year-old.

According to Sky Germany, De Ligt is an alternative option for United and the Premier League club have started internal discussions over a move for the Netherlands international, who played under Erik ten Hag at Ajax.

Bayern Munich are prepared to sell De Ligt this summer but are looking for a €50m (£42m) fee.

De Ligt, who joined Bayern in a €77m (£65.6m) deal from Ajax in July 2022, suffered a disrupted campaign this season due to injury and started just 16 games in the Bundesliga.

The 24-year-old is currently with the Netherlands national team as they prepare for their Euro 2024 group-stage opener against Poland on Sunday.

When asked about his future at Bayern this week, De Ligt said: ‘I’ve already said this is not the time for me to think about it.

‘We’re playing at the Euros now and that’s very important for me and the national team. That’s why I can’t say now what I think about this situation.

‘But what I can say is that I’ve now played my second season at Bayern – I’m very happy. For now I’m focused on the Euros and then we’ll see what happens