The centre-back, 24, only joined Bayern from Juventus in July last year, but he is said to be unhappy with his lack of playing time for the Bundesliga champions.
De Ligt – who has won 43 caps for the Netherlands – previously played under United boss Erik ten Hag at Ajax, who sold him to Juve for €75m (£67.8m) in the summer of 2019.
Matthijs de Ligt has made just two starts for Bayern Munich this season (Image credit: Getty Images)
According to Fichajes, Man United are monitoring De Ligt with a view to a potential move – which could contain a surprise swap element.
Scott McTominay was linked with a shock switch to Bayern during the last transfer window, before the Bavarian giants came close to signing Joao Palhinha from Fulham – only for that deal to fall through.
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Could McTominay be used as a makeweight in a bid for De Ligt? Perhaps – and United might well need that kind of helping hand.
Transfermarkt currently values De Ligt at €75m (£65), with Bayern thought to price him at €80m (£69m).
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Scott McTominay was also linked with West Ham this summer (Image credit: Getty Images)
Man United were rumoured to be chasing De Ligt's former Bayern teammate Benjamin Pavard over the summer – but the France defender ultimately joined Inter Milan.
There was just one new defensive arrival at Old Trafford ahead of the 2023/24 campaign: Jonny Evans, who penned a one-year contract after initially returning to United on a short-term basis to play in pre-season.
Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...
