United And City Both Make Contact With Agent Of 60M Rated Serie A Defender

Manchester United and Manchester City have both been in touch with the representative of Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt, according to reports in the Italian media.

The Dutchman is currently locked in discussions over a new contract with the Serie A club, but so far no progress has been made to extend his current deal which is set to expire in 2024.

De Ligt currently earns €12m a year but, due to budgetary constraints, Juve have only offered a contract worth €7.5m (including bonuses); a substantial wage cut which the player is unlikely to accept.

It means a sale is a growing possibility and it is believed that de Ligt could well be sold for around €70m (£60m), which is close to the figure he was signed for three years ago.

United boss Erik ten Hag worked with the defender at Ajax so that connection could prove useful in talks, but, in addition to City, both Chelsea and Liverpool have also reportedly been keeping tabs on de Ligt, so competition for the player will be fierce.