Manchester United have offered a dream Erik ten Hag signing a five-year contract and reports state it will be quickly accepted, while club-to-club talks over the transfer that is expected to cost around £42.5m have begun.
Upon surviving the club’s internal review into the 2023/24 season, manager Erik ten Hag has quickly fixed his gaze on the summer window.
To help the Dutchman be successful for the long haul, Man Utd are adopting a more youthful approach to their recruitment.
The Red Devils have shelved any and all plans to sign ageing superstars with little or no re-sale value. Instead, moves for younger and hungrier stars in their early-mid twenties are on the agenda.
The centre-back position will be a hotbed of action following Raphael Varane’s exit via free agency. Varane is currently in Italy ahead of sealing a move to newly-promoted Serie A side Como.
Victor Lindelof could also depart given he’s entered the final 12 months of his contract. Everton and Fenerbahce have shown interest in signing the Sweden captain.
Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite is Man Utd’s No 1 target at the heart of defence and personal terms have already been agreed.
Branthwaite would be in line to earn around £150,000-a-week if completing a move to Old Trafford. However, the latest reports suggest the move is under serious threat of being hijacked by Manchester City.
United may require two new centre-back signings if Lindelof joins Varane in leaving. In conjunction with their ongoing pursuit of Branthwaite, Man Utd are ramping up their plans to sign Matthijs De Ligt.
Bayern and De Ligt give transfer double green light
The Dutchman is a dream signing of Ten Hag who previously managed the centre-back during their time at Ajax.
De Ligt, 24, is open to leaving Bayern after tumbling down their pecking order last term.
Bayern are also willing to sanction a sale having already signed defender Hiroki Ito from Stuttgart this summer.
With a move for Bayer Leverkusen’s Jonathan Tah also being worked on, De Ligt has no future in Bavaria.
Man Utd make De Ligt offer; Bayern talks begin
And according to fresh updates from De Telegraaf and Sky Germany, De Ligt to Man Utd is a transfer that is rapidly taking shape.
Both outlets report Man Utd have entered into discussions with Bayern Munich over the transfer. Prior reports stated a deal can be struck for €50m/£42.5m.
Talks between Man Utd and De Ligt’s camp were already in full swing, though per De Telegraaf, significant progress has been made.
They state Man Utd have put a five-year contract on the table and the expectation is an agreement on personal terms will be quickly reached. Sky Germany echoed the claims a contract running until 2029 is in the pipeline.
United fans will question what the potential signing of De Ligt means for the pursuit of Branthwaite.
On that front, David Ornstein has confirmed the De Ligt chase is ‘independent of [the] ongoing Jarrad Branthwaite interest.’
In other words, it’s not a case of Man Utd intending to sign one or the other and both players could end up at Old Trafford.
