There have been claims that Manchester United and Sir Jim Ratcliffe have made an approach to sign a new player who Edwin van der Sar has previously compared to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Man United transfer rumours
The Red Devils are yet to complete any January transfer business when it comes to incomings, although they have moved out a number of players on loan. Jadon Sancho, Donny van de Beek and Hannibal Mejbri have all sealed temporary moves to Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt and Sevilla respectively, and it remains to be seen if there will be any arrivals before the deadline.
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A new centre-back and striker have been rumoured, though, with manager Erik ten Hag involved in conversations over a top defensive signing and talks with the agent of striker Karim Benzema after an injury to Anthony Martial.
Matthijs de Ligt has been mentioned as a possible addition in 2024, with recent suggestions claiming a reunion between the £263,000-a-week centre-back Ten Hag and could be on the cards.
Matthijs de Ligt approach claim
Reliable Man United reporter Laurie Whitwell shared an in-depth story on Wednesday for The Athletic, looking at Ratcliffe’s first month at Old Trafford.
When it came to potential January additions, he said that Ratcliffe and INEOS haven’t written off the current campaign and still want a top-four finish, before claiming there are rumours of loan approaches for both De Ligt and Bayern Munich teammate Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.
“On the pitch, there is no sense INEOS is writing off this season. Ratcliffe and his team want United to qualify for the Champions League because of prestige but also to help significantly with financial fair play calculations. The tightness of the numbers is why there is so little movement around signings, despite loan approaches for Matthijs De Ligt and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting being mentioned.”
De Ligt has been on the books at Bayern since 2022 after leaving Juventus and featured regularly during his first campaign in Germany. However, appearances have been harder to come by this season under Thomas Tuchel, so a move to England and Old Trafford could appeal to the 24-year-old.
Ajax
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13
7
Juventus
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Bayern Munich
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Talking back in 2021, van der Sar, formerly the CEO of Ajax, said that De Ligt reminded him of Ronaldo when it comes to his dedication in the gym.
"He has a great mentality. He works hard on himself to improve. Although I haven't seen him train in 2.5 years, in our time at Ajax he always reminded me of Cristiano Ronaldo at United. As De Ligt wasn't on the field in the morning, he could be found in the gym."
Van der Sar is a fan of the Dutch international, and by the look of things, a move could be one to keep an eye on following recent rumours.
