Erik ten Hag speaks out on Manchester United bid to sign Matthijs de Ligt

Erik ten Hag has confirmed that he supports Manchester United’s push to sign Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich.

United completed their £52 million deal to sign 18-year-old centre-back Leny Yoro from Lille this week but the Premier League side are open to signing another central defender before the end of the transfer window.

United have had two bids for Jarrad Branthwaite rejected by Everton this summer, the latest of which was £45 million plus a further £5m in add-ons.

Ten Hag’s side have also held talks with Bayern Munich over a deal for De Ligt, while reports have claimed that the Netherlands international has already spoken to the United manager about a potential move to Old Trafford.

Bayern, meanwhile, are holding out for a €50m (£42m) fee for De Ligt, who is currently on holiday after he was part of the Netherlands squad at Euro 2024.

Ten Hag managed De Ligt for just over a year at Ajax and admits he has already tried to sign him in his first summer at United before the Dutch defender joined Bayern in a €77m (£65.6m) deal from Juventus.

‘It remains to be seen whether De Ligt will come,’ Ten Hag told AD Sportwereld.

‘I know Matthijs well and I will not deny that. I wanted to sign him two years ago but at that time he was already very far along to join Bayern Munich but believe it or not, his name did not come from me in the process [at United].’

Ten Hag revealed United’s list of transfer targets was finalised between the scouting and recruitment department when he was on holiday this summer but stressed that he still has a say in decisions over new signings.

‘But of course, I support these decisions, let that be clear,’ Ten Hag said.

‘We still make these choices together.

‘I know it creates a certain image, of course I understand how that works, but eventually, our criterion will prevail above everything else – is the player good or not? Is he the right character? Does he fit the age and quality bracket we are looking for?

‘I understand when you do not win, the media maligns you and there is a bad image, but it [nationality] is irrelevant, whether he is from the Netherlands, Sweden, or France. It is just like the colour of hair the player has. It does not matter what the outside world thinks.

‘We make decisions together and we jointly arrive at the best possible selection.

‘I firmly believe we are moving in the right direction.’

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