Mathijs de Ligt's comments on Erik ten Hag as Man Utd 'forcefully' enter transfer race

Manchester United have reportedly entered the race to sign Juventus defender Mathijs de Ligt this summer with Erik ten Hag keen to reunite with the player.

That's according to Corriere dello Sport, who claim the Red Devils are interested in De Ligt, who has refused to sign a new contract at the Old Lady unless they lower his release clause and keep his wages fairly similar. The Netherlands international has two years left on his current deal in Turin.

It has been claimed United are 'ready to forcefully enter the scene' for the centre-back with Chelsea also keen on signing him in the transfer window. Thomas Tuchel's side are searching for another defender after Antonio Rudiger joined Real Madrid and Andreas Christiansen left at the end of his contract.

However, United must pay €120million to prize the Dutchman away from Juventus, which could prove difficult with Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong set to join for big-money. The Old Lady do not want to lose him but there would be solace if they lose him at that price as they would have money to replace him with.

De Ligt worked with Ten Hag at Ajax, where they reached the Champions League semi-finals before he decided to join Juventus. He spoke about the incoming United boss earlier in the month, where he assessed how he could get on at the Red Devils and made it clear he still thinks extremely highly of his former boss.

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De Ligt said: "He is someone who loves his job and he loves to work. He wants to do everything to make his team play better. He's really into the details. This makes him a really good trainer who improves players. He has a lot of qualities to succeed and we will have to see how he goes."

The 22-year-old started his