David Ornstein: Man Utd agree to sign 24yo UCL star for €50m, 26yo will join soon for €20m
Manchester United have reached an agreement to sign two Bayern Munich stars, according to The Athletic journalist David Ornstein.
The Red Devils have been tipped to sign Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui over the past few weeks and they have now finalised the transfer of the duo.
As per Ornstein, the club will pay €45 million up front plus €5m in add-ons for De Ligt. He will undergo his medical before signing an initial five-year contract.
Meanwhile, Bayern have also accepted a separate offer of €15m plus €5m in add-ons for Mazraoui.
The proposed transfer is contingent on fellow right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka leaving the Red Devils.
United are in advanced talks with West Ham United. The Hammers have agreed to pay £15m and talks are ongoing over the length of the deal, as things stand.
Red Devils strengthening defence ahead of new season
United suffered an unfortunate setback last month with summer signing Leny Yoro sustaining an ankle injury. He has since undergone a surgery and will be out for three months.
The Red Devils were initially reluctant to meet the transfer demands of Bayern for De Ligt, but they have eventually agreed to pay the asking price, knowing the need to bolster the defence.
De Ligt is one of the best ball-playing centre-backs in the world. The 24-year-old should be a guaranteed starter alongside Lisandro Martinez as Yoro may not feature regularly until 2025.
Mazraoui will be brought in to provide competition for places to Diogo Dalot. Dalot has pretty much been the undisputed right-back with Wan-Bissaka lacking attacking instincts.
The Moroccan should be an upgrade on Wan-Bissaka going forward. Like De Ligt, the 26-year-old previously worked under Ten Hag at Ajax and could seamlessly adapt to the playing style.