Dutch center-back Matthijs de Ligt, 25, joined Manchester United from Bayern Munich. The defender spent two seasons in the German club after being bought from Juventus for around €67 million.
De Ligt signed a contract until 2029 with an option to extend for another year, costing around £38.5 million plus £4.3 million in performance-related add-ons.
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From left to right: Manchester United Manager Erik ten Hag, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Sporting Director Dan Ashworth
(Photo: Manchester United)
Noussair Mazraoui, a 26-year-old Moroccan defender, also joined Manchester United from Bayern Munich, where he played 55 matches. Mazraoui's contract runs until 2028 with an option to extend for a year, for an initial fee of £12.8 million, with potential add-ons of £4.3 million.
De Ligt and Mazraoui, who previously played under Erik ten Hag at Ajax Amsterdam, helped Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga and DFL-Supercup trophies in the 2022/2023 season. They credit Ten Hag for their development.
Mazraoui has made 28 appearances for the Moroccan national team.
The arrivals of De Ligt and Mazraoui will boost Manchester United as they look to challenge for the Premier League title and other trophies under Ten Hag's management. The club will play a season opener against Fulham at Old Trafford.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been sold by Manchester United to West Ham for £15 million, where he will compete with Vladimir Coufal for the right-back spot.
Manchester United also signed 18-year-old French center-back Leny Yoro from Lille for around €70 million.
Luke Shaw will miss the opening three games of the season for Manchester United due to a calf injury.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq
Sources: Straits Times, The Hindu, NDTV, Bola, Antara News, Pattaya One, WION, Detik, India Today, RealGM, News18, Bundesliga, Mirror, RPC TV, Evening Standard, Republika.