Manchester United fan asks ‘Erik, when is De Ligt coming?’; Erik ten Hag responds amid transfer links

A Manchester United fan recently asked club manager Erik ten Hag when the Red Devils will sign Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt. Notably, the former Ajax center-back has been heavily linked to Old Trafford in recent months, alongside other options in central defense.

The Red Devils saw 2018 World Cup winner Raphael Varane leave after his contract expired earlier this summer. They could also potentially see players like Harry Maguire, who has just 12 months left on his contract, leave Old Trafford if a bid comes in.

This has pushed the Mancunian giants into making plans around squad depth, especially at the backline. They have already signed Leny Yoro from LOSC Lille.

However, a young Manchester United fan wanted to know when they would sign De Ligt, asking the manager, who was signing his jersey (via Sport Bible):

“Erik, when is De Ligt coming?”

The Dutch tactician kept mum about his plans, opting to respond with a question instead:

“You want him?”

This will not be the first time Erik ten Hag has spoken about the Dutchman and Manchester United's interest in the defender. He discussed what might be a potential move with AD Sportwereld, saying (via Sport Bible):

“It remains to be seen whether De Ligt will come. I know Matthijs well and I will not deny that. I wanted to sign him two years ago but at that time, he was already very far along to join Bayern Munich (from Juventus) but believe it or not, his name did not come from me in the process (of targeting signings).”

Time will tell if Manchester United will convince the former Ajax defender for a move to the Premier League.

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How much would De Ligt cost Manchester United?

The Red Devils are making preparations to bolster their squad for the upcoming season. They have already signed Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro, but a continued push in the transfer market could ensure an improvement on last season.

To that end, they have been chasing De Ligt, with Sport Bild (via One Football) reporting that United offered Bayern Munich €35 million for his services. However, this was rejected by the Bavarian giants, who are expecting to receive a fee in the ballpark of €50 million. His contract expires in 2027.

Bayern president Uli Hoeness has already spoken about the Dutch defender potentially leaving the German club, saying that an exit was possible. However, Manchester United will need to meet their monetary expectations before they let their defender leave for England.