Erik ten Hag 'wants to lure Matthijs de Ligt to Manchester United'

The 24-year-old made the switch to the Allianz Arena from Italian giants Juventus in the summer of 2022 and has since made 55 appearances, scoring four goals.

De Ligt was a stalwart under Julian Nagelsmann last season but has struggled for game time with Thomas Tuchel in charge of the Bavarians, starting just four Bundesliga matches this term.

The centre-back is a regular on the international stage, representing the Netherlands 43 times since his senior debut in January 2017.

According to Fichajes, Manchester United head coach Ten Hag is keen on luring De Ligt to Old Trafford following the conclusion of the 2023-24 term.

The report claims that the Dutch defender is dissatisfied with the amount of first-team action he has received so far in 2023-24, playing just 367 minutes of Bundesliga football.

Bayern boss Tuchel has used De Ligt sparingly this campaign, preferring a centre-back partnership of Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae for the majority of the term.

It is understood that the former Ajax man does not want a move away from Bayern this month, however he would be open to a transfer in the summer should his game time not increase.

A switch to the red side of Manchester for De Ligt is highly dependent on whether Ten Hag is still in the managerial hotseat at Old Trafford by the end of the season.

The Red Devils were knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage in December and currently sit seventh in the Premier League, eight points behind fourth-placed Arsenal.

Following Sir Jim Ratcliffe's minority takeover of Man United, it remains to be seen whether the INEOS boss will make a change of manager in the summer.

With both Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane suffering injuries this term, 36-year-old Jonny Evans has been used more than anticipated by Ten Hag, starting 10 Premier League games.

A move to Old Trafford for De Ligt would see the defender link up with compatriot Ten Hag, with the pair working together previously at Ajax.

After a 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday, Man United will face either Newport County or National League side Eastleigh in the fourth round of the FA Cup on January 28.