Man Utd 'hatch plan' to sign Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich

Manchester United are still keen on signing Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt but may wait until they can steal the Netherlands international on a cheaper deal, a report has revealed.

The Red Devils are still firmly in the market for a new centre-back this summer, especially following the injury situation surrounding star signing Leny Yoro. The French defender made just two appearances in pre-season before picking up a devastating injury in United's friendly defeat to Arsenal.

Yoro is set to miss the next three months of games while recovering from foot surgery, encouraging United to continue their pursuit of Bayern's De Ligt.

A double bid for both De Ligt and Bayern teammate Noussair Mazraoui was recently rejected, sparking surprise from everyone involved in proceedings as Bayern refused to budge from their asking price.

As per reports from BILD, United are still hoping to steal De Ligt's signature for less than the £43m price tag Bayern have placed on his head, and may play the waiting game in order to secure their new defender.

De Ligt has made it clear he wants to join United, while Bayern boss Vincent Kompany is happy to part ways with the Dutch international, and so United hope there will soon be increased pressure on Bayern to agree to a sale.

Bayern have identified Bayer Leverkusen's Jonathan Tah as their preferred replacement for De Ligt but do not want both players on the books at the same time and therefore could prove willing to negotiate De Ligt's price as they seek to avoid a repeat of last summer's drawn-out pursuit of Joao Palhinha.

Palhinha was in Munich waiting for the green light from Fulham right up until the last second of the 2023 summer transfer window but ultimately had to return to England when a deal could not be struck, leaving Bayern with a huge hole in their squad. The Portugal international finally got his move earlier this summer.

If Bayern want to sign Tah soon, they may need to agree to De Ligt's sale in the coming days, and United are prepared to wait as long as possible to try and ramp up the pressure on the German giants.

United are set to face rivals Manchester City in the FA Community Shield on Saturday, without the injured Yoro or Rasmus Hojlund. Harry Maguire is also at risk of missing the clash with a muscle injury, while Tyrell Malacia is ruled out until October.

The Red Devils will then kick off their Premier League season against Fulham on 16 August.

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