Manchester United 'ready' to pursue Matthijs de Ligt deal and more transfer rumours

Manchester United are ready to rival both Bayern Munich and Barcelona for the signature of Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt.

That is according to a report by Italian news outlet Calcio Mercato, who claim that Juventus are prepared to offload the Dutchman in this summer's transfer window.

De Ligt joined Juventus from Dutch giants Ajax in the summer of 2019 and was expected to become one of the greatest centre-backs in recent times, with the Italian club signing him for the future.

However, his time in Turin has not gone according to plan, racking up 98 appearances in almost three years.

With Juventus reportedly set to cash-in, United, along with Bayern and Barcelona, are ready to go head-to-head in pursuit of his signature.

It is reported that United believe the 22-year-old would be an 'upgrade' on their current central-defensive options and Juventus are ready to sell him this summer if the price is right.

Despite only being 22, De Ligt is already vastly experienced and played a key role in Ajax's run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2018/19.

Meanwhile, Watford failed with a last-minute effort to sign Phil Jones from United on transfer deadline day, a report by Football Insider claims.

The centre-back, who stepped off the bench in United's FA Cup defeat to Middlesbrough on Friday evening, was heavily linked with a loan move to French outfit Bordeaux ahead of the transfer window closing last Monday.

In the end, a deal to take the former Blackburn Rovers man to France failed to materialise, meaning he stayed put.

However, it has since been reported that new Watford boss had sanctioned a deal to take Jones to Vicarage Road but it was knocked back.

It has not been revealed whether Watford were pursuing a