Matthijs de Ligt has already made transfer stance clear to Manchester United

Matthijs de Ligt has previously outlined his intentions at Bayern Munich amid continuing transfer links to Manchester United.

United are looking to sign at least one centre-back this summer as manager Erik ten Hag looks to strengthen his squad. Ten Hag's future has been the subject of speculation, but as things stand he remains in the Old Trafford hotseat heading into next season.

Ten Hag was De Ligt's manager during the defender's time at Ajax - during which they lost the 2018/19 Europa League final to United - before he joined Juventus in 2019. Now the centre-back is at Bayern Munich after completing a £68million move to Germany back in 2022.

Reports from Sky Germany on Tuesday suggest Bayern could look to sell De Ligt this summer. While no clubs were named as potential suitors, United's need for centre-back reinforcements combined with Ten Hag's history of managing the player and the previous links to Old Trafford make it likely United will be credited with an interest in the coming weeks.

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Whether the Reds will actually have an interest, though, remains to be seen. De Ligt spoke about his future before the end of the season when rumours first emerged that he could leave Bayern.

Despite the German club being well adrift of eventual winners Bayer Leverkusen in the table, De Ligt outlined his optimism of a bright future for the Bundesliga as he stated his desire to perform for the club.

"I’m not thinking about that now. I’m very happy at Bayern Munich," De Ligt told reporters back in March when quizzed about his long-term future at the German club.

"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."

With Raphael Varane leaving on a free transfer and the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof all enduring injury-hit 2023/24 campaigns, Jarrad Branthwaite and Edmond Tapsoba are just two of the multiple targets United are considering to bolster their centre-back options.