Manchester City transfer news on Matthijs de Ligt
Manchester City transfer news on Matthijs de Ligt as he’s lured by Pep Guardiola to Etihad amid interest from Chelsea, and Man Utd.
Manchester City have been given encouragement to pursue a deal for Matthijs De Ligt amid claims the Juventus defender favours a move to the Etihad Stadium above all others this summer.
Pep Guardiola’s side have already been active in the summer market with the signing of Erling Haaland.
Man City will look to strengthen their midfield following Fernadinho’s departure.
To that end, Leeds star Kalvin Phillips and Sporting’s Matheus Nunes are both reportedly targets of Guardiola.
Indeed, they have John Stones, Nathan Ake, Aymeric Laporte and Ruben Dias as four dependable and quality options in the heart of their rearguard.
Manchester City transfer news on Matthijs de Ligt
The 22-year-old is regarded as one of the world’s elite defenders, signing for Juventus for a huge £65m in 2019.
He has made 117 appearances for the Bianconeri in his three seasons at the club.
However, with his deal due to expire in 2024, talks over an extension are underway.
There, however, remains a catch. As per reports, Juve wants to tie De Light down on reduced wages.
As such they are hoping to reduce the Dutchman’s salary from €12m (£10.2m) to €7.5m (£6.3m) per year.
And while that still would mean a £120,000 a week deal, it would represent a significant drop in earnings for the player.
As a result, Calciomercato claims a number of clubs are readying approaches for the defender.
Indeed, Manchester United, Chelsea and PSG are all reportedly keeping tabs on his situation.
Of the quartet, however, they claim it is a move to City that most interests De Ligt.
He is reportedly allured by the prospect of playing for Guardiola, who is regarded as one of the world’s elite coaches.
De Ligt, meanwhile, is giving nothing away amid questions on his future, but does give hint over how he can be lured away.
“There are ongoing conversations between me and Juventus,” said De Ligt.
“Right now I am focused on how I perform on the pitch, once the right moment arrives I will decide to extend or to look further
“I look at the sporting project. Ending fourth in a row for two years in a row is not good enough, Juventus knows this too.
“So being Juventus, we have to make steps. I’m a Juventus player so I’m focused on that.”
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