Following his return to the Bayern Munich squad, the likelihood of Matthijs de Ligt joining Manchester United this summer has significantly decreased.
Due to De Ligt’s decline in the Bayern hierarchy this season, the center defender began to press for a move out of the team in January.
While Sky Germany and other outlets stated at the time that De Ligt was up for grabs at the end of the season, Bayern declined to sell in the winter market.
Man Utd is reportedly in the lead to sign De Ligt in the summer, although Arsenal is also interested.
But now that De Ligt is back to being a key member of Bayern, those odds have drastically decreased.
He’s back in the starting lineup, sending Kim Min-Jae to the sidelines.
And since Bayern has finally found some form lately, he has been in outstanding form.
Thomas Miller’s second goal was assisted by De Ligt’s brilliant volley as they hammered Lazio 3-0 to go to the Champions League quarterfinals. The following weekend, Bayern crushed Mainz 8-1.
With De Ligt, Bayern are now content once more.
Many of Man Utd’s existing central defenders are expected to go in the summer, therefore the team will need at least one elite center-back.
Since their contracts are about to expire, Raphael Varane, Jonny Evans, Victor Lindelof, and Harry Maguire all have uncertain futures.
Having worked with De Ligt at Ajax, Erik ten Hag, the manager of Man Utd, is a huge admirer of the player.
Before joining Juventus in the summer of 2019, De Ligt became known as perhaps the most promising young center back in Europe during that period.
Though he was transferred to Bayern Munich in 2022 for €80 million, he never reached his full potential at Juventus.
Though De Ligt has struggled at Bayern, his recent form notwithstanding, he signed a five-year contract in Bavaria that extends until 2027.