Transfer Talk: Man Utd target De Ligt upset at Bayern snub

Posted Sunday, February 11, 2024 by ESPN

Matthijs de Ligt isn't completely happy with his situation at Bayern Munich and could leave the Bavarian giants during the summer, according to Florian Plettenberg.

The main reason is that the 24-year-old isn't among manager Thomas Tuchel's favoured options for the defending Bundesliga champions when all of Bayern's defenders are fit and available.

That stance was displayed during Bayern's 3-0 defeat against title-contenders Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, when De Ligt was left on the bench for the entire 90 minutes despite impressing and scoring in the victory over Borussia Monchengladbach a week earlier.

De Ligt's current contract runs until 2027, but it currently seems unlikely that he will be staying in Bavaria that long. The Netherlands international is sure to have interest when the next transfer window arrives, with Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and Barcelona among the European giants that have been linked with him in recent times.

In addition to addressing De Ligt's situation, Plettenberg also suggested that Tuchel remains keen on the idea of signing Barcelona defender Ronald Araújo.

Tuchel has regularly been linked with the 24-year-old in recent times -- with reports stretching back to before the January transfer window -- although no move for the Uruguayan has materialised yet. Araujo's current contract at the Blaugrana runs until the summer of 2026.

Bayern Munich centre-back Matthijs de Ligt did not appear pleased to be missing out on such a crucial game on Saturday.