Manchester United handed boost as transfer target wants to leave current club and join Red Devils immediately - Reports

Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt has reportedly informed Bayern Munich that he wants to leave and join Manchester United this summer. De Ligt is said to be keen on a fresh adventure and sees the Red Devils as the perfect next step in his career.

As per a report by Florian Plettenberg, De Ligt has a verbal agreement to join Manchester United and wants the deal to conclude quickly. The Red Devils have offered him a long-term contract, but the two clubs are yet to agree on a deal.

Football journalist David Ornstein also spoke about the deal in the latest episode of The Athletic podcast, and claimed:

"As things stand, ManUtd are working on this De Ligt deal. I think some of the reports [are] saying that a fee is close… my information is that's not necessarily accurate. I don't mean to sound any alarm, but as things stand, it is something ManUtd continue to work on. I don't have any sense of it being imminent, about to be done and announced. Famous last words, this podcast comes out, and he's holding up a United shirt. Well, he's not because he's at the Euros, so we'll be okay on that front, but I think a bit of patience is required on this."

Plettenberg has added that talks between Bayern Munich and Manchester United are at an advanced stage.

Manchester United urged to sign Premier League star over De Ligt by pundit

Liverpool legend Phil Thompson has urged Manchester United to sign Jarrad Branthwaite from Everton instead of Matthijs de Ligt. He believes that the Dutchman is a good player, but the Englishman is the better option in the long term.

He told Paddy Power:

"Matthijs de Ligt is a good player, but when I look at ManUtd, I feel like they need a player who knows the Premier League. They had Raphael Varane from Real Madrid, and he didn't work out, so if you have de Ligt coming into the side, he might take a little bit of time to settle, which is something that United can't afford to do. Jarrad Branthwaite is a top class player and he's going to be a future England international. I think he's a top player and if I was in ManUtd's position, he would be someone I would go for."

Manchester United are reportedly looking to sign a defender this summer after the exit of Raphael Varane. The future of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof also hang in the balance.