Matthijs de Ligt 'rejected 2 European giants' before Man Utd transfer

Matthijs de Ligt dismissed interest from both Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain to finalise his transfer to Manchester United, a report has revealed.

The Dutch defender was made available for transfer earlier this summer and was the subject of prolonged negotiations between United and Bayern which, at one point, looked as though may not lead to a positive resolution.

A €45m (£38.2m) deal was eventually struck to take De Ligt to United, but according to The Athletic, the centre-back was contacted by both Barcelona and PSG before that had been agreed.

The two clubs contacted De Ligt's representatives to express their interest but were told in no uncertain terms that United were leading the race, with the 25-year-old's desire to reunite with former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag working in the Red Devils' favour.

De Ligt is also said to have had a strong desire to represent United over any other club. Indeed, Real Madrid are the only team who could have given the defender a tough decision to make.

Barcelona have long been linked with a move for De Ligt, dating back to his days with Ajax, but were once again unable to secure the centre-back's signature.

PSG, meanwhile, bolstered their defence with 22-year-old Willian Pacho from Eintracht Frankfurt.

United and Barcelona could yet cross paths before the summer transfer window closes, with reports claiming the La Liga side are considering making a loan bid for winger Jadon Sancho later this month.

Sancho is free to leave for a fee of £40m and United would strongly prefer a permanent sale but, with just over a week of the window remaining, there are suggestions that a loan deal could be struck.

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