Over ten thousand Bayern Munich fans sign petition against the potential sale of 24-year-old defender to Manchester United

Manchester United's pursuit of Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt has potentially hit a snag as over 10,000 fans of the German club oppose the sale. Bavarian fans have taken to online platform change.org to demand that their club keep hold of the Dutch centre-back this transfer window.

The Red Devils have been keen to recruit defensive reinforcements following the departure of Raphael Varane as a free agent this summer. While targets like Jarrad Branthwaite have reportedly been sounded out, the English giants seem to have settled on the Dutchman as their primary target in recent weeks.

The petition titled: "We all want Matthijs de Ligt to stay at FC Bayern Munich," is a passionate plea asking the club to retain De Ligt's services. A section titled 'Why this petition matters' reads:

"He has proven that he‘s a world class defender, probably the best in our squad. There is a reason why he was elected as our best player in the 2022/23 season."

"Furthermore he is only 24 years old and has a bright future ahead, which he is going to use to fulfil his huge potential. Despite his young age, Mattha is already very mature and has a great mentality which will definitely make him a leading figure in defence and probably a competitor for captaincy in some years. His ability to speak English, German and Dutch fluently would help him a lot for that. With 19 years he already brought Ajax Amsterdam to the UCL semi-finals as captain."

The petition, which has received more than 10,000 signatures, concludes with:

"Selling Matthijs de Ligt would be an absolutely horrible decision and we would definitely regret it. That‘s why we use our voice to call attention that we will NOT make this mistake!"

According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, De Ligt is open to joining Manchester United and personal terms between the player and club won't be a hindrance in the deal.

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"This is not the time for me to think about it" - Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt's previous statement on potential move as Manchester United links emerge

Ahead of the ongoing European Championships, Matthijs de Ligt was asked about his future at Bayern Munich amid reports linking him with a move away from the club. The Dutch centre-back refused to provide a definitive answer, stating that he is fully focused on the Netherlands' campaign at the tournament.

De Ligt said (via Manchester Evening News):

"I've already said this is not the time for me to think about it."

"We're playing at the Euros now, and that's very important for me and the national team. That's why I can't say now what I think about this situation. But what I can say is that I've now played my second season at Bayern - I'm very happy. For now, I'm focused on the Euros, and then we'll see what happens."

The defender has been strongly linked with a move to the Red Devils who are managed by Erik Ten Hag, a manager he worked well with during their time together at Ajax.

De Ligt joined Bayern Munich for €67 million in 2022 from Juventus and has made 73 appearances for the club, scoring five goals and providing two assists.