Why are Bayern Munich so desperate to sell Matthijs de Ligt to Manchester United?
Well, it’s really a question of money rather than sporting merit.
While Bayern’s net spend on transfer fees has been pretty reasonable over the last five years, their wage bill has risen by 17% to the sixth highest in Europe.
And as the club looks to rebuild their squad under a new head coach, that means some of their highest earners are now being edged towards the exit door.
When we couple that with the fact that Vincent Kompany currently has six senior centre backs on the books, with a seventh set to join in Jonathan Tah, it means the club are looking to cash in on some defenders.
And since some are too old, too unreliable or only arrived recently, it makes De Ligt the most sellable of the lot.
Even if he is one of the best defenders on their squad.
source
