Arsenal set to rival Man Utd over £65m Bayern Munich star Thomas Tuchel wants gone

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Arsenal have reportedly joined the likes of Manchester United in the race to sign Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt.

The Dutch international only joined the reigning Bundesliga giants last year from Juventus in a deal worth a reported £65m, with De Ligt becoming a mainstay for the German side.

However, Thomas Tuchel’s reign at Bayern has brought doubt over De Ligt’s future at the club, with the former Chelsea manager favouring Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-Jae so far this season.

Arsenal could move for Bayern Munich outcast Matthijs de Ligt

And according to Football Transfers, there’s now a chance that the former Ajax captain could be sold by Bayern, with Arsenal already believed to be interested in the defender, alongside United.

With the Gunners in the market for another quality centre-back, De Ligt would be quite the addition for Mikel Arteta if Arsenal were to pursue a deal for the Dutchman this summer.

However, with United in the race and in need of a top central defender, there’s a strong chance that Erik Ten Hag could move to reunite with De Ligt in the coming months.

Indeed, De Ligt heading to Old Trafford would be a hammer blow for Arsenal, though it’s clear that splashing the cash on a defender isn’t what the Gunners should be doing in the transfer window.

Arsenal should consider move if Bayern Munich set realistic demands

In terms of total fees, De Ligt moving this summer would make the 24-year-old comfortably the most expensive defender in world football having secured two £65m+ transfers already in his career.

And for Arsenal, spending this much on the Dutch international might be a stretch too far for the north London side, who clearly need to focus on other areas in the summer.

As we know, a world-class centre-forward is on the agenda for Arsenal as well as a midfielder with Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny set to leave the Emirates Stadium at the end of this season.

And whilst De Ligt is a fantastic defender and a player many Arsenal fans would still take, the Gunners simply can’t justify splashing the cash on the Bayern outcast if the German giants name a high price.