Erik ten Hag favourite 'gives green light' to £45m Man Utd move as defender talks continue

Bayern Munich and Netherlands centre-back Matthijs de Ligt has reportedly given the green light to a possible move to Manchester United.

The Dutch international has been repeatedly linked with a move away from the Bundesliga giants over the last six months and recent reports have suggested the Red Devils are now ready to step up their interest as they look to strengthen their defensive ranks throughout the remainder of the summer transfer window.

Speaking in March when he was quizzed about what could lie ahead during the summer, De Ligt said: I’m not thinking about that now. I’m very happy at Bayern Munich. Of course, I haven’t had an easy season so far. I was injured for a long time. But at the moment I feel good and am fit, I want to play."

The former Juventus star is currently in Germany after he was named as part of the Netherlands squad for Euro 2024 - but was an unused substitute for all three of their group stage games and also remained on the bench as Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo and Borussia Dortmund’s Donyell Malan got the goals in a 3-0 round of 16 win against Romania on Tuesday evening. De Ligt will hope to get his first minutes of the tournament when Ronald Koeman’s side face Turkey in the quarter-final, with the winners set to face either England or Switzerland in the last four.

However, De Ligt will head into the weekend with speculation over his future at Bayern intensifying and the latest reports have suggested the 24-year-old is open to discussing a move to Old Trafford once the European Championships come to a close. Sky Germany have reported the centre-back is willing to entertain the prospect of a reunion with Erik ten Hag after the duo worked together during the United manager’s reign at Ajax and confirms the Red Devils have held ‘initial talks’ over a possible agreement. However, there is said to be a lot of work to do before a deal is put in place as Bayern are said to be demanding an initial fee of around £42.4m, with United facing the prospect of paying more in possible performance-based add-ons.

De Ligt is not the only centre-back said to be on the Red Devils radar - but a deal for Everton and England star Jarrad Branthwaite appears to be some way off with the Toffees said to lower an asking price believed to be in excess of £75m. Sky Sports are also reporting Everton ‘do not want, or need, to sell’ the former Carlisle United academy product. United also remain in talks with veteran defender over a new one-year deal after the Northern Ireland international made 36 appearances last season.

Evans received wholesome praise from Ten Hag last season after he was brought back for a second spell at Old Trafford as a fifth-choice centre-back before going on to become a regular in the Dutchman’s side. Speaking in March, the Red Devils boss said: “I have been very impressed (with Evans). We are so pleased we signed the fifth centre-back because normally, you say: ‘Why five centre-backs in the squad?’ But you see, we are so happy we did this. As you see, his performance across the season, he’s such an important player for this squad. He will always be there when he’s needed and give good performances.”