Alexander Fox | PlaNet Fox from Pixabay"/>Premier League sides Manchester United and Arsenal are about to be hit with a major blow because Real Madrid are said to be interested in signing one of their priority summer transfer targets, Matthijs de Ligt.
De Ligt’s time at Bayern has been anything but a bed of roses and particularly under Thomas Tuchel, the Dutch defender has found it really hard to get game time. This season, the centre-back has started only eight Bundesliga games and rumours of a summer exit are growing stronger.
Despite being fully fit, the defender was left out of the starting XI for the Leverkusen game and Tuchel has admitted that the 24-year-old has to fight for his position in the side, just like everyone else.
“Yes, he is having a difficult moment. The fight for the place is really strong. He had a bit of back pain at the weekend and was treated in the hotel. I then decided not to start him and not to take the risk. Upa also couldn’t play 90 minutes against Leverkusen, so I needed 4 centre-backs. That’s why I made the decision. Matthijs is a fighter, has established himself at Ajax and Juventus. It’s a competition for places. We need him,” Tuchel has said.
”I don’t have any numbers or rankings in my office. Matthijs is one of four centre-backs. There’s no number 1 or 4. Everyone is fighting for places. Competition in that position is very intense. Everyone has the chance to play every week. It’s a normal situation for Bayern Munich.”
Real Madrid, Arsenal or Man United: Where is Matthijs de Ligt heading to?
Matthijs de Ligt is most likely to leave in the summer if his situation does not get better before the end of May. Tuchel very clearly does not fully trust the defender and if he remains at the club then De Ligt will most likely be sold.
And this perfectly aligns with Man United’s hunt for a new central defender. Raphael Varane, Evans and Lindelof are most likely going to leave in the summer so Ten Hag needs new defensive reinforcements.
However, if Real Madrid are serious about signing the defender then it will be a big headache for Manchester United. Arsenal are also keen to land the 24-year-old but we highly doubt if Matthijs de Ligt will want to join the Gunners.
Arsenal brought in Jurrien Timber in the summer and they also have a pair of fine centre-backs in the form of William Saliba and Gabriel. If Matthijs de Ligt is leaving Bayern Munich then he will want to join a team where there’s minimal competition and Arsenal isn’t that club right now.
Madrid currently have centre-backs David Alaba, Antonio Rudiger, Eder Militao and Nacho in their squad and apart from Eder, everyone else is in their 30s. Ancelotti reportedly wants to invest in a young centre-back which is why the club’s interested in De Ligt.
The Los Blancos will save a lot of money because Mbappe is going to arrive as a free agent so they will have the funds to try and lure in Matthijs de Ligt.
Arsenal have just held internal discussions regarding the Bayern defender which means Man United are the favourites to land him but if Real Madrid formally join this transfer race, the Red Devils will fall down the pecking order in a flash. On paper, Matthijs de Ligt will probably want to join Manchester United because of his former association with Erik ten Hag but then again, not many players can reject an offer from Real Madrid.
