A Bayern Munich fans’ petition is close to 60,000 signatures over the sale of Matthijs de Ligt to Man Utd.

Bayern Munich fans have signed a petition against Matthijs de Ligt’s move to Manchester United.

The Red Devils are looking for at least one central midfielder during the summer transfer window, not least because of the departure of defender Raphael Varane at the end of his contract.

Although United were initially put off by the amount they would have to pay for De Ligt, Bayern’s willingness to approve a sale for around £45m and the Dutchman’s openness to taking a pay cut saw them boost their interest.

But Bayern’s decision to listen to De Ligt’s offers has not gone down well with supporters, and a change.org petition will pass 60,000 signatures on Monday.

“We all want Matthijs de Ligt to stay at FC Bayern Munich!” we read the request. “He has shown that he is a world-class defender, perhaps the best in our team.

“There is a reason why he has been voted as our player of the year for the 2022/23 season. Furthermore, he is only 24 years old and has a bright future, which he will use to fulfill his great potential.

“Despite his young age, Mattha is already mature and has a good mind that will make him stand out in defense and maybe a contender for the captaincy in some years. His fluency in English, German and Dutch would help him a lot with that. At 19 he has already brought Ajax Amsterdam to – semi final in UCL as captain.

“Selling Matthijs de Ligt would be a very bad decision and we will definitely regret it. That is why we are using our voice to call attention to the fact that we will NOT make this mistake!”

Bayern have already added a new midfielder to their ranks this summer, signing Hiroki Ito from Stuttgart for £25m. Eric Dier’s move from Tottenham Hotspur has also been made permanent, while negotiations are still ongoing for Bayer Leverkusen’s Jonathan Tah.

Meanwhile, United will discuss the next steps in their pursuit of De Ligt and other transfer targets at a recruitment meeting on Monday, the report said.

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