Manchester United receive transfer boost in pursuit of £60m-rated star, club needs to sell

Manchester United have received a transfer boost in relation to their pursuit of one £60 million-rated centre-back.

The Reds have several priorities in the summer transfer window as INEOS look to improve Erik ten Hag’s squad for next season.

However, it seems that central defence is one of the most important roles to improve after Raphaël Varane’s departure.

Jarrad Branthwaite has been identified as the favourite option for that position, but Everton’s £70 million valuation of the Englishman appears to be impacting that deal.

Instead, United are considering other options, including Bayern Munich’s defender Matthijs de Ligt. Erik ten Hag is still a big fan of the former Ajax defender.

According to new information from German reporter Christian Falk, while the Bundesliga giants want to hold out for £60 million for De Ligt, they need to sell in order to buy this summer.

It was added that United value the Netherlands international at around £30 million and Vincent Kompany does not see the defender’s future at Bayern.

“FC Bayern have to sell players in order to be able to continue purchasing. Erik ten Hag, who is currently negotiating a contract extension with Manchester United, would like to bring in Matthijs de Ligt,” the reporter detailed on Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing.

“Accordingly, ten Hag should be prepared to pay a high transfer fee for de Ligt. Bayern want up to €70m, but Manchester United should only want to pay half. The new coach Vincent Kompany wants to rely on other players in defence.”

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Thursday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.