After it looked like another (Dutch) player was in the bag for MUFC, it has come out that all is not what it seems.
Matthijs De Ligt has been a long-time target of United's this transfer window as right from the get go, reports came in that the Bayern Munich defender is ready to make the move to Manchester.
Reports also said that De Ligt had given the green light to join United and that he made MUFC his top priority after apparently agreeing personal terms with the English giants. He turned down proposals from the likes of PSG and Liverpool to make sure he gives United every chance of securing his signature.
However, it appears as though MUFC and Bayern have hit an impasse. The two clubs are finding it hard to agree on a deal for the 24-year-old.
Bayern are holding out for €50m (£42m). United have offered "significantly less than €40m" for the centre-back [Florian Plettenberg].
Plettenberg also goes on to say that Bayern have rejected every offer and only want a €50m plus add-ons deal.
And so hence the danger that this deal may not go through as United have obviously failed to hit the mark.
Bayern are also in a similar situation to United in that they have to sell to buy with one of their targets being defender Jonathan Tah. Much like MUFC's failed bid to secure De Ligt, the 6x champions of Europe also failed in their attempt to try and bring the Bayer Leverkusen centre-back to Bavaria.
Funnily enough, getting rid of De Ligt would allow them to bring in Tah.
It's kind of a merry-go-round with these clubs' business.
Final Thoughts
I must admit though, I don't think that asking price of €50m is daft. I actually think it is on point.
For a player of De Ligt's quality and experience, that isn't a bad deal in my opinion. I know he hasn't been great since leaving Ajax in 19/20 for Juventus and then Bayern but none of the players from that Ajax have been anything special.
Even both Juventus and Bayern haven't been quite themselves when you look at what's going on behind the scenes and the lack of consistent success in winning the big trophies at those clubs. Juve and FC Bayern also aren't clubs that are the best environments for any player to flourish (let alone one so young) in their current situations. This is similar to what the situation has been at United for so many years.
The Dutch international is still only 24-years-old so he isn't even in the prime of his career yet but he has been around the block for so long and at the biggest of clubs. He's also won the league in all three countries: Netherlands, Italy and Germany. De Ligt is also a leader having captained that Ajax side under ten Hag which did so well. He was only 19 at the time.
Having played under Erik ten Hag, he also understands exactly what the manager would want in terms of style of play. He would come in and slot into the side seemlessly.
De Ligt ticks all the boxes of the modern centre-back as well and would mean United would have a third defender with such qualities after Lisandro Martinez and newly-signed Leny Yoro. This will provide the depth we need in the squad and allow for rotation while keeping the playing style the same.
Ideal for what we need.
The main reason why I think this deal hasn't happened though, is because I believe United are short of funds. With there being just a £50m budget at the start of the transfer window, the club needed to make sales in order to increase that number otherwise there was no chance of bringing in many good players.
Having let go of the likes of Rapha Varane and Anthony Martial (who left on a free after their contracts expired but did free up some money thanks to their wages), Brandon Williams, Donny van de Beek, Willy Kambwala and Mason Greenwood, that budget increased and allowed the club to bring in Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro.
As more players need to be shipped out to bring in fresh meat, this is why I think United have stalled with this De Ligt deal as well as that of a midfielder.
Sell to buy is the only way United can improve the squad otherwise we will be stuck with a lot of the players from previous seasons.
With the team preparing for the American pre-season tour, it is unlikely that deals will be done whilst the team are playing although it is not entirely out of the question.
If players that we want to move on and are linked to other clubs go on the tour, this could mean further delays in trying to sell them and bring in the likes of De Ligt and Ugarte.
This matter really needs to be resolved soon as the Community Shield is just over two weeks away with the Premier League opener against Fulham coming the week after.
Time is ticking. What will United do with Matthijs De Ligt?
Background Image: Matthijs De Ligt and Erik ten Hag during their Ajax days | Photo by Erwin Spek/Soccrates/Getty Images via Bavarian Football Works