Manchester United’s pursuit of a new central defender has taken them far and wide.
From nearby north west neighbours Everton – Jarrad Branthwaite initially the number one target – to France (Leny Yoro and Jean-Clair Todibo), Portugal (Goncalo Inacio and Antonio Silva) and, now, Germany.
Negotiations to bring Matthijs de Ligt to Old Trafford appear to have gone from zero to sixty quicker than one of Jeremy Clarkson’s supercars.
According to Fabrizio Romano, reporting on X, Bayern Munich’s Dutch international De Ligt has given the ‘green light’ to Manchester United, much to the bemusement of those who cannot understand why the German giants are selling.
It would be a surprise at this stage – particularly with De Ligt keen on the move and Bayern willing to accept a far lower fee than initially reported – if Erik ten Hag’s former Ajax captain was not the first defensive signing of the Ineos era.
But he certainly won’t be the last.
Matthijs de Ligt deal likely for Manchester United
It is no secret that Man United want both a right-footed and a left-footed centre-half this summer.
De Ligt ticks the first box. The impressively bipedal Branthwaite would have been the left-footer in question. But with Everton reluctant to drop belowtheir £70 million asking price, Man United may be forced to cast their net a little wider.
And while United know from experience that so-called ‘tournament signings’ carry a degree of risk – see Sofyan Amrabat and Kleberson – Riccardo Calafiori has been pretty exceptional at club level too over the last few months.
The defensive colossus at the heart of a Bologna side who secured Champions League qualification for the very first time, Calafiori was Italy’s stand-out performer during a dismal Euro 2024 alongside goalkeeper Gigi Donnarumma.
In fact, if it wasn’t for Calafiori’s marauding run into midfield and inspired assist for Mattia Zaccagni in the dying seconds of that last-gasp 1-1 draw with Croatia, Italy might not have even reached the round-of-16.
Calafiori shares a few key similarities with Branthwaite, beyond a shared poise on their left side. Calafiori is also physically imposing at 6ft 2ins, but possesses the technical qualities and passing range required at the very highest level.
At a rumoured £42 million – the same fee United are paying for De Ligt and nearly £30 million less than Everton want for Branthwaite – 22-year-old Calafiori offers considerable value for money too, per Sacha Tavolieri.
And Stefano Impallomeni, the former Roma and Parma midfielder who now works as a reporter back home in Italy, claims to have heard that a move to Old Trafford is a very real possibility for Calafiori.
Riccardo Calafiori an option for Red Devils
“He is highly sought after abroad,” Impallomeni tells Tuttomercatoweb. “There is Arsenal and Manchester United. For him it was a great European Championship.
“50 million (euros) is too much for (the Serie A) market. Not for abroad.”
Man United are already pretty well advanced in pursuit of one Bologna player. Per The Telegraph, United are expected to trigger the £34 million release clause in Joshua Zirkzee’s contract with a final decision set to be made once the Netherlands exit the Euros.
Bologna director Giovanni Sartori accepts Zirkzee is ’99 per cent’ likely to leave. He is, however, more hopeful on Calafiori’s future.
“There is talk of Juventus, but also of many other teams,” Sartori tells Sky Sports Italia. “At this moment, we will try to keep him. If important offers were to arrive, we will have to think about it.
“I am not saying that we will sell him because the president has said that he wants to keep the whole team. But we will certainly make some evaluations.
“I do not think he will go to Juventus. He will probably go in a different transfer window. But I repeat that we would like to try to keep him.”
Read more: Who is Joshua Zirkzee? Meet the 6’4″ Man Utd summer target who reminds Thiago Motta of Ronaldinho
