Bayern Munich fans sign petition to stop club selling Matthijs de Ligt to Man United

60,000 fans have signed the petition

This comes as Man United edge ever closer to acquiring the services of the 24-year-old Dutch centre back from the German giants.

United will need to sign another defender this summer to partner Lisandro Martinez after the departure of Raphael Varane with Harry Maguire also potentially on the move.

Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag has his sights set on a potential reunion with De Ligt after their successful time at Ajax together with Ineos backing the move.

De Ligt has already spoken out and said that he is ready for a new challenge and in a potential transfer worth just £43m Bayern Munich fans have been left outraged by the prospect of his departure.

Taking to Change.org, one fan known as 'DeLigt Lad' has set up a petition titled "Keep de Ligt!" which has now been signed 60,000 times, not far off the entire capacity of Old Trafford or the Allianz Arena.

The fan wrote: "We all want Matthijs de Ligt to stay at FC Bayern Munich! He has proven that he‘s a world class defender, probably the best in our squad. There is a reason why he was elected as our best player in the 2022/23 season.

"Furthermore he is only 24 years old and has a bright future ahead, which he is going to use to fulfil his huge potential."

He added: "Selling Matthijs de Ligt would be an absolutely horrible decision and we would definitely regret it. That's why we use our voice to call attention that we will NOT make this mistake!"

The 24-year-old has made 73 appearances for Bayern since moving from Juventus for £68million in 2022 after heading to the Italian giants for £72m just three years prior from Ajax.

Matthijs de Light is just one of a handful of targets Man United want to sign this season, with Joshua Zirkzee also being heavily linked with a swap to Old Trafford.

United and Ineos are having to be shrewd in this transfer window, restricted by tightened profit and sustainability regulations, the club are looking for quality players at cut-rate prices.

Zirkzee has a release clause of just £33.8m while Bayern appear to be willing to let De Ligt go for around £45m.

Matthijs de Ligt would be the third former Ajax player to reunite with Erik ten Hag at United and along with Zirkzee they would become the third and fourth Dutch signings respectively during his tenure.