Two Erik ten Hag targets make transfer stance clear, Manchester United have the upper hand

Two of Erik ten Hag’s key transfer targets have made their stance on a Manchester United move clear, with the Premier League club holding the upper hand.

Manchester United need reinforcements this summer to bolster Erik ten Hag‘s squad as they look to break back into the Premier League top four and Champions League spaces.

After finishing eighth in the league last campaign, the club has already signed Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro while selling Mason Greenwood, Willy Kambwala, and Donny van de Beek. It is rumoured that Aaron Wan-Bissaka and others may yet face the chopping block.

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However, with Yoro and Rasmus Højlund both suffering injuries in pre-season, the club need to ensure they bring in further talent in the next few weeks, and fresh reports have proven just that.

David Ornstein reported that on Thursday, Manchester United submitted an initial double offer for Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, two targets that Ten Hag is keen on. Both the club and the players’ representatives were optimistic that this offer would meet the expectations of the Bundesliga giants.

However, Bayern Munich rejected the proposal, informing United that a higher fee would be necessary to reach an agreement.

In light of this, the feelings of both players regarding the transfer were made clear. It’s said that the rejection caused “some bemusement” in either player’s camps, with both De Ligt and Mazraoui having the same representative: Rafaela Pimenta.

Their understanding was that United’s offer met the financial requirements set out by Bayern Munich after the club confirmed to both players that they were not part of their future plans.

The report added that this led to the player’s camps to ask Bayern whether their stance on their exits had changed, and they were met with the same response from the German club.

Despite Bayern’s rejection, United has the complete upper hand in negotiations. Realistically, every week Bayern Munich decide not to move the players costs them money, as both players are on substantial wages, and if United met the financial requirements, Bayern would have no leg to stand on.

United have made it clear that they are willing to walk away from deals they deem to be too expensive, with Jarrad Branthwaite and Joao Neves examples of this. United have already agreed personal terms with both stars, meaning that as time goes on, Bayern will need to eventually cave.

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