Alexander Fox | PlaNet Fox from Pixabay"/>According to Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg, Matthijs de Ligt is unhappy with his game time under manager Thomas Tuchel, indicating that he could leave Bayern Munich in the summer.
De Ligt seems to have fallen down the pecking order under Tuchel with the Bayern manager opting to use Kim Min-Jae, Eric Dier and Dayot Upamecano in central defence during the club’s 3-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
Initially, everyone thought the Dutch defender might have picked up an injury but the 24-year-old has revealed that he is fully fit.
This statement has once again revealed that Thomas Tuchel does not trust Matthijs de Ligt to lead his back line and if things don’t improve then the defender will definitely force an exit at the end of this season.
Last month the Bayern manager had claimed that De Ligt wasn’t playing due to all his injury woes but now that he’s fully fit, he’s not being selected either.
Tuchel had said: “Matthijs came back injured from the national team and missed all pre-season.
“We played him a bit too early in the Super Cup, then he got seriously injured again and Min-jae and Upa [Upamecano] were starting games. But of course we’re planning with Matthijs, he is our player, a top player and a top character.”
The centre-back moved to Bayern from Ajax in 2022 and since then, he’s featured in 59 games for the German side. Last season, he played in 43 games but this time around, he’s started in only eight league games.
Matthijs de Ligt still has three years left on his contract but with Manchester United interested in him, the centre-back will look to push out.
Man United manager Erik ten Hag has worked very closely with the 24-year-old during his Ajax days which is why he wants De Ligt to come in and slot alongside Lisandro Martinez next season. Lindelof and Raphael Varane are set to leave so the manager is looking to bring in a new right-footed centre-back.
The defender’s current market value is €65 million and if the Premier League side is willing to pay around €70-80 million then Bayern might very well allow him to leave.
It’s very evident Thomas Tuchel trusts Kim Min-Jae and Dayot Upamecano ahead of Matthijs de Ligt and if he remains at the club beyond the summer then he won’t mind selling the Dutch international and use the money elsewhere.
Obviously, Tuchel staying in charge is a big if because Bayern are trailing Leverkusen in the title race and if they cannot lift the Bundesliga title then the management might very well let go of him.
