The rebuild of Manchester United could definitely take some time, so get ready and dig your heels in for that. The upshot is that we’ll have a summer transfer window filled with many comings and goings.
And with Manchester United linked to approximately 97,324 players already, the time is right for some Red Devils transfer talk on this motivational Monday. Go here for the second edition of United transfer talk today. We start with the latest on Matthijs de Ligt, a man who is wanted by many of the world’s biggest teams. The 19-year-old central defender is being hit with a lot of recruiting pitches, including one from Cristiano Ronaldo himself.
It came after CR7’s Portugal beat De Ligt’s Netherlands 1-0 in UEFA Nations League competition. De Ligt just essentially laughed it off though. Via NBC Sports:
De Ligt told Netherlands’ NOS television after the game that he didn’t expect Juventus star Ronaldo to ask him about a move to Turin.
“I didn’t understand him at first. I was a little shocked, so I laughed. But I didn’t say anything,” De Ligt said. “So soon after the game you are not at all concerned with it. You are disappointed that you have lost and that is the only thing you are thinking about.”
In addition to United and Juventus, the Ajax star has also been linked to Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and others. For what it’s worth, former United manager and Dutchman Louis van Gaal believes his countryman should not join United, and if that scenario does play out, well, you know how it’s been for United lately in the transfer market regarding central defenders.
Elsewhere, the long term future of goalkeeper David de Gea could lie away from United, and if that is to be the case, they need to line up a replacement now. Atletico Madrid man Jan Oblak has been linked with Old Trafford quite a bit recently, and ESPN has a story today claiming that the 26-year-old wants out of Atleti, and prefers United over Paris Saint-Germain as a destination.
The Slovenian international is considered one of the fastest rising goalkeepers in the world and he was a United fan during his childhood.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, also contributes to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.