Manchester United are reportedly set to complete two major signings by the next week. The Red Devils are in pursuit of a defender who will replace Rafael Varane in the backline. They have kept their eyes on Matthijs de Ligt, who will reportedly part ways with Bayern Munich this summer. According to a report by One Football, De Ligt is interested in the transfer due to his close relationship with United boss Erik Ten Hag, who earlier coached him during his managerial stint with Ajax.
The English club is also keen to secure the signing of Bologna forward Joshua Zirkzee and has already submitted an offer worth £34 million. Manchester United’s sporting director Dan Ashworth is expected to play a part in completing both transfers. The club wants to wrap up both deals for an amount of £68m and announce the arrival of De Ligt and Zirkzee next week.
Manchester United have plans to sign two defenders in this summer transfer window. They offered £43m to bring Jarrad Branthwaite from Everton but the deal collapsed. The footballer is currently valued between £70m and £80m. Following the departure of Rafael Varane, Manchester United now want to sell another centre-back Victor Lindelof whose contract will expire next year.
The Old Trafford hierarchy has already held talks with De Ligt’s agent, Rafaela Pimenta, who shares a good bond with Erik Ten Hag. The Netherlands international played under Ten Hag before joining Juventus in 2019.
After the Dutch manager took over the helm at Manchester United, De Ligt said in an interview, “He is someone who loves his job and he loves to work. He wants to do everything to make his team play better. He’s really into the details. This makes him a really good trainer who improves players. He has a lot of qualities to succeed and we will have to see how he goes.”
Matthijs de Ligt has failed to match the expectations at his current club Bayern Munich. He has warmed the bench on many occasions last season as an unused substitute. In this situation, a move to Manchester may help De Ligt reignite his career under the guidance of his former coach Ten Hag.
Meanwhile, Zirkzee was previously close to signing a contract with AC Milan. The Italian club, however, could not agree terms with his agent. Manchester United are reportedly ready to pay his release clause worth £34m along with a £13m commission for his agent.
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