Manchester United confirm double signing of Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui as summer spending hits almost £150m
Manchester United have confirmed the signings of Bayern Munich defenders Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui.
The double agreement involves a meeting with Man United manager Erik the Hagwho also managed both players during their time at Ajax.
These moves bring Ten Hag's total of signings this summer to four.
The Red Devils opened their account by signing the former Lille defender Leny Yoro for a fee of £52m in July, and that was quickly followed by the signing of former Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzeefor 38 million pounds.
As previously reported by talkSPORTManchester United then agreed a deal with the Bundesliga club to sign De Ligt for a reported £43m, with Mazraoui costing a further £17m.
These four signings take Manchester United's total spending this summer to almost £150m so far.
Speaking about his move, De Ligt said: “As soon as I heard that Manchester United wanted me, I was excited by the opportunity of a new challenge at such a historic club.
“In the conversations that followed, I was impressed by the vision that the football leaders laid out and the role they saw for me in it.
“Erik ten Hag shaped the early stages of my career, so he knows how to bring out the best in me and I can't wait to work with him again.
“I know what it takes to succeed at the highest level and I am determined to continue to maintain that record at this very special club.”
Mazraoui said: “It’s an incredible feeling to be a Manchester United player and I can’t wait to walk out to Old Trafford in the red shirt.
“I know I'm joining the club at an exciting time; everyone I've spoken to has the same ambition for us to win trophies together and I can sense the determination to achieve that.”
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De Ligt and Mazraoui were a key part of Ajax's impressive Champions League run under Ten Hag in 2018/19.
The two played 17 times on their way to the semi-finals, allowing them to overcome the odds to beat real Madrid and Juventusbefore losing to Tottenham in dramatic circumstances.
A prodigious talent, De Ligt set numerous records after making his debut just after his 17th birthday.
He became the youngest player (17 years and 285 days) to start in a major European final when Ajax lost to Manchester United in the 2017 Europa League final.
De Ligt then became the club's youngest captain, at the age of 18, following Joel Veltman's injury.
His performances for the Dutch giants – and the Netherlands – earned him a £67.5m move to Juventus in 2019.
He won a title in his first season and an Italian Cup the following year, but was then sold to Bayern Munich in 2022 for £65.6m, where they won the 2022/23 Bundesliga title.
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Mazraoui also came through Ajax's famed academy, making his league debut in 2018.
He made 137 appearances in total for the club before joining Bayern Munich on a free transfer.
Now, two seasons and 55 appearances later, the Moroccan international will join former team-mate Andre Onana, Antony and Lisandro Martinez at Old Trafford, alongside De Ligt.
