Manchester United’s proposed move for Matthijs de Ligt has been hit with controversy after more than 7,000 fans signed a petition against the transfer.
The change.org petition, started by Bayern Munich supporters, started on June 11 but surpassed 7,000 signatures on Tuesday, with another 350 people adding their names during the day. That surge comes amid interest from Manchester United in the Netherlands international.
The club are said to have made contact with Bayern – who reportedly have a £42.5million asking price – and the player. But the Bavarian club being willing to part with the player this summer has not gone down well in Munich among the fanbase, particularly online.
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“We all want Matthijs de Ligt to stay at FC Bayern Munich,” a section titled ‘Why this petition matters’ reads. “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. Despite his young age, Mattha is already very mature and has a great mentality which will definitely make him a leading figure in defence and probably a competitor for captaincy in some years. His ability to speak English, German and Dutch fluently would help him a lot for that. With 19 years he already brought Ajax Amsterdam to the UCL semi-finals as captain.
“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!”
De Ligt addressed his future last month before the European Championship began and days after the petition started. “I’ve already said this is not the time for me to think about it,” De Ligt said during a press conference.
“We’re playing at the Euros now, and that’s very important for me and the national team. That’s why I can’t say now what I think about this situation. But what I can say is that I’ve now played my second season at Bayern – I’m very happy. For now, I’m focused on the Euros, and then we’ll see what happens.”