Man Utd suffer blow in pursuit of top Bayern Munich defender as Tuchel speaks out on rumours

Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel has insisted that Matthijs de Ligt remains part of his plans amid reports claiming the Dutch defender may be on his way to Manchester United at the end of the season.

De Ligt has been limited to just nine Bundesliga appearances so far this season having struggled with injury problems.

After returning from an inner knee ligament tear last month, the Dutch international suffered another setback on Tuesday when Bayern Munich confirmed De Ligt had suffered a capsular injury in his left knee at the club’s training camp in Portugal.

A report by Sky Sports Germany claimed that it is “conceivable” that De Ligt will be “allowed to leave” Bayern at the end of the season having slipped behind Kim Min-jae and Dayot Upamecano in the pecking order at the Allianz Arena.

Manchester United has been touted as a potential destination for De Ligt, with the Premier League club set for major surgery in centre defence following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s acquisition of a 25 percent stake.

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Tuchel issues firm stance on De Ligt

De Ligt previously worked under United manager Erik ten Hag at Ajax, where he became the club’s youngest-ever captain in March 2018 before playing a key role in the side that reached the semi-final of the Champions League in 2019.

Addressing the media ahead of Bayern Munich’s clash with Werder Bremen, however, Tuchel has insisted that De Ligt remains in his plans while also reaffirming the former Juventus defender has simply been unlucky with injuries this season.

Tuchel said: “Matthijs came back injured from the national team and missed all pre-season. We played him a bit too early in the Supercup, then he got seriously injured again and Min-jae and Upa were starting games.

“But of course we’re planning with Matthijs, he is our player, a top player and a top character.”

Tuchel’s comments come after TEAMtalk exclusively revealed on Friday that the former Chelsea manager is plotting another Premier League raid in the search for defensive recruits.

Having signed Harry Kane from Tottenham last summer, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano revealed on Saturday that talks are underway to sign Kieran Trippier with the Newcastle United full-back giving the “green light” to a move.

The decision is now said to rest in Bayern’s hands, having struggled to tempt Paris Saint-Germain into selling Nordi Mukiele.

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