Man Utd, Arsenal put on notice as £66m Bayern Munich defensive star ‘open’ to surprise transfer

Manchester United and Arsenal have seemingly been put on alert, with Bayern Munich centre-back Matthijs de Ligt reportedly open to leaving the Bundesliga champions this summer.

Both United and the Gunners are expected to be in the market for a new central defender come the end of the season, with any deals in the January window much tougher to pull off.

Lisandro Martinez is the only Red Devils centre-back guaranteed to still be at the club next season, with the futures of Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans all unclear at this stage.

As for Arsenal, Mikel Arteta wants stronger competition for first-choice duo William Saliba and Gabriel, who have both had spells out of the side with injury at different times.

De Ligt‘s outstanding form under Erik ten Hag at Ajax led to a number of clubs battling for the Netherlands international, with United actually making their first approach for the player back in the summer of 2019.

The 24-year-old ended up joining Italian giants Juventus and made 117 appearances for the Old Lady before moving on again, this time to Bayern in a deal that could eventually be worth €77million (£66m).

De Ligt impressed in making 43 appearances in his first campaign for Bayern as they won the Bundesliga and DFL-Supercup but things have been very different this time around.

The defender has played just 12 times and, due to injury issues, has only completed two Bundesliga matches under Thomas Tuchel during the 2023/24 season.

His current contract at the Allianz Arena runs until June 2027, leaving Bayern in a strong position to demand a healthy fee for the player – and reports suggest they, like De Ligt, are open to the idea of a sale.

And when it comes to interest in the Dutcham, United are right near the top of the queue and Arsenal are not far behind

Sky Deutschland reports that both clubs are keeping a close eye on the developments surrounding his future, with De Ligt now pushing to leave.

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De Ligt struggling for game time at Bayern

His desire to move on stems from currently being second choice Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae, although he currently playing due to the latter being away with South Korea at the Asia Cup.

Bayern are also signed Eric Dier on a six-month deal from Tottenham this month with the option for a further year, while the Bundesliga side are also the firm favourites to snap up Ronald Araujo from Barcelona.

Indeed, if Dier does enough to extend his stay in Bavaria, and Araujo also arrives then De Ligt will be deemed surplus to requirements – almost certainly prompting Bayern to cash in.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s impact is expected to be felt heavily in the summer, with a rebuild of the squad to take place amid growing talk that Ten Hag will be replaced – as TEAMtalk reported on Monday.

United are expected to bring in at least one centre-back, depending on leaves, and Bayern’s desire to do business leaves them in a strong position to strike a deal.

That is also likely to be at the expense of the Gunners, with De Ligt unlikely to want to join another team that already has an established partnership in place.

Ten Hag’s men are back in action on Sunday when they head to League Two Newport County in the FA Cup fourth round, while Arsenal face a trip to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on January 30.

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