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MANCHESTER UNITED

De Ligt still interested in Man United move

Ajax captain Matthijs De Ligt is reportedly tempted by the prospects of playing a central part in the reconstruction at Old Trafford.

Update:
Soccer Football - Champions League Semi Final Second Leg - Ajax Amsterdam v Tottenham Hotspur - Johan Cruijff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands - May 8, 2019  Ajax's Matthijs de Ligt celebrates scoring their first goal    Action Images via Reuters/Matthe
MATTHEW CHILDSAction Images via Reuters

Just when it seemed that Matthijs De Ligt was Barcelona bound, Manchester United are reportedly not yet out of the running for the young Ajax captain.

Last week, Catalan daily Mundo Deportivo claimed that Barcelona and Ajax were working on reaching a final agreement on the 19-year-old. A few days later, Catalan TV station Esport 3 reported that the player’s agent, Mino Raiola, had met with Barcelona representatives in Montecarlo on April 12 to agree terms for the Ajax defender's move to Camp Nou.

However, a report by UK newspaper The Telegraph this Friday claims that the 19-year-old centre back is still interested in a move to Manchester United, despite the fact the club will not be in the Champions League next season.

De Ligt likes idea of being part of United's rebuild

Citing sources close to the player, The Telegraph claims that De Ligt is tempted by the longer-term prospects of being a cental figue in the reconstruction at Old Trafford, where the young defender is seen as an ideal solution to United’s defensive woes, along with Napoli centre back Kalidou Koulibaly, another prime target for the club this summer. 

Aside from that, the Red Devils could be in a position to offer the Dutch international a better financial package than Barcelona, who, after paying 86 million euros for De Ligt’s Ajax team mate Frenkie de Jong in January, now look set to break the bank to sign Antoine Griezmann from Atlético Madrid for around 120 million euros.

De Ligt, who is not short of suitors after an impressive season in which he led Ajax to their first Champions League semi-final since 1997, will reportedly make a final decision about his future after Holland’s Uefa Nations League fixtures in early June.