Manchester United could land their very own Virgil van Dijk after it emerged that they were "closely monitoring" a towering centre-back ahead of the summer.
Red Devils need additions
United boss Erik ten Hag pointed to the defence as a major problem when quizzed on his side's disappointing Premier League season, arguing that he was only able to pick his first choice back four on very rare occasions as injuries ravaged the United squad.
"I think they [the owners] have common sense and then see when you have 32 different backlines. When you have eight centre-backs, you use eight centre-backs.
"They see when you use 13 partnerships in centre-half, when you don't have a left full-back when we have so many injuries. They know it will have a negative impact on results", he explained in April.
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It has been a problem, with Casemiro forced to play at centre-back at points last season, and it is one that is only likely to get worse before it gets better. Raphael Varane has confirmed his departure as a free agent, while Jonny Evans is now well into his mid-thirties and cannot be expected to perform as often this season as he managed to last time out.
Meanwhile, Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof are both out of contract next summer, making a new centre-back a necessity this summer as the Red Devils look to improve on their dreadful league campaign.
Manchester United's centre-backs as it stands
Contract expiry
Willy Kambwala
2025
Harry Maguire
2025
Victor Lindelof
2025
Lisandro Martinez
2027
Jonny Evans
TBC
They have been strongly linked with a move for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite, while the likes of Jules Kounde and Jean-Clair Todibo are also believed to be under consideration. Now, it has emerged that the club are keeping tabs on a new name, and he could be the best fit yet.
United "closely monitoring" star defender
That has come as Sky Sports report that the Red Devils are "closely monitoring" Matthijs De Ligt's situation at Bayern Munich. The Dutch defender, who spent two seasons under Ten Hag at Ajax, has endured a tough time in Bavaria and is seemingly falling down the pecking order as the club finalise a deal for Hiroki Ito and continue their pursuit of Jonathan Tah.
As a result, Sky's Florian Plettenberg has revealed that the 24-year-old "is allowed to leave FC Bayern for a suitable offer", while Ten Hag "is still a big fan" of his compatriot.
Wages might be a stumbling block, with De Ligt reportedly taking home around £265,000 a week as it stands, a sum that would place him among the highest earners at Manchester United.
However, his ability has been likened to that of Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk by fellow Dutch national team member Nathan Ake, who has plenty of experience playing with the two.
“He's quick, strong for his age, very good in the air and on the ball he is very good. He scores so many from set-pieces so he's got a lot of the same attributes as Van Dijk", the Man City man explained.
Given that Ten Hag has previously warned he "doesn't have the players" at Old Trafford to play a style of football like that which drew rave reviews with Ajax, he may have been handed a golden opportunity to change that fact.
