Real Madrid are reportedly aiming to hijack Manchester United's deal for Matthijs de Ligt, as the Red Devils struggle to reach an agreement with Bayern Munich on a fee for the player.
Under the leadership of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Red Devils are making solid progress with their summer transfer business, having already secured two significant signings this month.
The first was the arrival of Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna, while the second was that of French centre-back Leny Yoro, who was brought in from Ligue 1 side Lille.
Yoro, in particular, was on the radar of several clubs across Europe, including Los Blancos, who were believed to be the favourites to secure the services of the highly-rated teenager.
However, having lost out on signing the 18-year-old, it seems that Carlo Ancelotti's side are now looking to rival the Red Devils for the signature of another centre-back.
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Real Madrid to hijack United for De Ligt's signature
For weeks, widespread reports have indicated that De Ligt has settled on personal terms with Manchester United, anticipating a summer transfer that the Netherlands international is eager to complete.
Erik ten Hag's side had reportedly made a £29m bid for the Dutch centre-half, which Bayern rejected, with the Bavarians seeking in the region of £42m for the 24-year-old.
While negotiations are still ongoing between United and Bayern, Football 365 report that Real Madrid have now entered the race to sign De Ligt this summer as an alternative to Yoro.
The report adds that Los Merengues' president Florentino Perez is willing to put up £34m to sign the Bayern Munich centre-back, which is the same amount he was willing to pay for Yoro.
Notably, the amount being offered by the Madrid president is around £5m more than the Red Devils' bid for the Dutch international but still around £8m shy of the Bavarians' asking price.
Should the Bundesliga side knock back Real Madrid's offer, it would not come as a huge surprise if the La Liga giants revise their offer, while United may need to sell one or more of their existing players in order to increase their original bid.
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De Ligt eager to secure summer move
De Ligt is believed to be eager for a move away from the Allianz Arena this summer, having fallen in the pecking order behind Kim Min-jae and Eric Dier.
The Dutch international made just 22 appearances in the Bundesliga last season, including 16 starts, accumulating a total of 1,387 minutes of playing time.
He had featured in 31 of the 34 games in Bayern's league-winning 2022-23 campaign, following his £56m move from Juventus at the start of the same season.
De Ligt worked with Ten Hag during his time at Ajax and his current contract with the German giants is only set to expire in the summer of 2027.
Devesh Jaganath
