Transfer news boss Romano announced this afternoon that Manchester United have agreed to sign Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich. The Dutch star will commit to Old Trafford for 5 years with an optional year.
Matthijs de Ligt will play for Man United this season
The deal is worth €50m (£42.9m), with an initial €45m (£38.6m) plus €5m (£4.3m) in performance bonuses. The move is subject to De Ligt passing a medical, with personal terms not difficult to agree.
Matthijs de Ligt needs to register by Thursday afternoon to be available for Manchester United’s Premier League opener against Fulham on Friday. The 24-year-old has spent two seasons at Bayern Munich since joining from Juventus, making 73 appearances and scoring five goals. De Ligt also played under Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag at Ajax, where they won the Eredivisie title in 2019.
In another deal, Man United have agreed details of a deal for Bayern Munich right-back Noussair Mazraoui. They are expected to make that move after Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s move to West Ham is complete.
The clubs have now agreed almost all aspects of the deal for the defender. Terms for Wan-Bissaka’s departure are still being discussed but are not considered an issue at the moment.
As Man United took to the field to play the Community Shield against Man City, Italian journalists announced that Aaron Wan-Bissaka had moved to West Ham for 15 million euros. This contract paved the way for Noussair Mazraoui to join Man United. And just a few dozen minutes later, Romano was still determined that the 20 million euro contract was completed. Agent Rafaela Pimenta had successfully negotiated when Mazraoui signed a 5-year contract, with an additional 1-year option.
Can De Ligt help ease Man Utd’s defensive injury crisis?
De Ligt will be United’s second centre-back signing of the summer following the £59m arrival of Leny Yoro. The 18-year-old impressed on his pre-season debut against Rangers but was sidelined for three months after suffering a foot injury against Arsenal.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka to West Ham
Noussair Mazraoui joins Man United
United’s defence was ravaged by injuries last season and that crisis has spilled over into this campaign.
Ahead of the clash with rivals Manchester City, Ten Hag said there was a “question mark” over the fitness of Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw. With Yoro and Tyrell Malacia out, the United boss may have to devote more time to Lisandro Martinez and Diogo Dalot, who have not featured in pre-season.
Will De Ligt thrive under Ten Hag, as he has done in the past?
Sky Sports writer Adam Bate analyzed: “In 2019, Erik ten Hag said: I don’t know if Matthijs de Ligt has shown 60 to 80 percent of his potential yet. But we are talking about one of the best defenders in Europe and I have no doubt that he will soon be number one in this position.”
De Ligt was 19 at the time and captained Ten Hag at Ajax on their run to the Champions League final. He was just 17 when he became the youngest player to feature in a Europa League final and, still a teenager, had made 100 first-team appearances when he left.
There is no doubt that he will go even further at Juventus and beyond. Ten Hag, speaking of Ajax’s young players, has referred to De Ligt as one who has “a certain feeling of invincibility” about them. He is the embodiment of certainty.
But the centre-back United have signed is at a slightly different stage in his career. His time in Turin was nothing short of a complete success. At Bayern Munich, his form has dropped and he has lost his place in the squad for both club and country.
There is optimism, however. At 24, he still has time to recover. De Ligt has the basics down. There is a belief that if his old coach becomes the new manager, his best years could still be ahead. Ten Hag could help him rediscover his potential.
And that potential is still huge.