Erik ten Hag did not hesitate in responding to one Manchester United fan asking him when he would bring one former Ajax star to Old Trafford.
The 54-year-old Manchester United manager has overseen a summer clearout to his first-team squad ahead of the 2024-25 Premier League season.
Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane, who recently signed for Serie A club Como, both left Old Trafford at the end of last season after their contracts expired.
United have also offloaded several other players, with the likes of Donny van de Beek, Mason Greenwood and Willy Kambwala all sold this summer.
Erik ten Hag has seen two areas of his squad strengthened in the transfer window, with Leny Yoro arriving from Ligue 1 side Lille in a deal worth £52.18m.
United have also added Netherlands striker Joshua Zirkzee to their attacking ranks after signing him from Serie A side Bologna in a deal worth £36.54m.
The Red Devils have been linked with several other targets, including Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Manuel Ugarte.
Man Utd fan asks Ten Hag about former Ajax star
Erik ten Hag has already been reunited with several former Ajax players at Old Trafford, including Antony, Lisandro Martinez and Andre Onana.
Bayern Munich full-back Noussair Mazraoui, who played under Red Devils boss Ten Hag at Ajax, has emerged on Manchester United’s radar in recent weeks.
Former Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt has also been tipped for a move to United this summer amid uncertainty over his Bayern Munich future.
Instagram account mufcmax6 recently uploaded footage of a young United fan approaching Ten Hag and asking for him to sign a shirt.
The United fan didn’t pass up the opportunity to cheekily ask Ten Hag when Matthijs de Ligt would be coming to Old Trafford.
Ten Hag, who was sitting in his car while signing a United shirt, wasted no time in dropping a teasing response amid the Red Devils’ interest in De Ligt.
The fan asked Ten Hag: “Erik, when is De Ligt coming?”
Responding to the United supporter, Ten Hag said: “You want him?”
Man Utd’s transfer pursuit for De Ligt
United have reportedly agreed terms with Matthijs de Ligt this summer, but the Red Devils are currently unwilling to meet Bayern Munich’s asking price.
Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg on X, formerly Twitter, posted that United have offered a transfer fee of £33.6m for former Ajax star De Ligt.
However, he added that Bayern are unwilling to sell the 24-year-old Netherlands international for anything less than £42.2m plus add-ons.
Fabrizio Romano recently provided an update on United’s pursuit of Bayern duo De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui this summer.
Speaking to CaughtOffside, he said: “The reality is that, for now, there’s still nothing more to discuss with Matthijs de Ligt’s agent as Man United already agreed on terms with the player weeks ago – there have been no fresh contacts, though they have spoken about Noussair Mazraoui, who is another client of Rafaela Pimenta.
“The problem is only on [the] Bayern side as they insist on a €50m guaranteed fee, while Man United want to use add-ons as part of the deal.”
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
