Manchester United transfer candidate Matthijs de Ligt is reportedly being investigated by German police over a “car-ramming incident.”
The Dutch defender, who has been linked with a move to Old Trafford this summer, was not included in Bayern Munich’s squad for the pre-season tour of South Korea due to interest from the Red Devils.
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According to German newspaper BILD, de Ligt is accused of “ramming a parked car” with his £63,000 Audi Q8 e-tron near Bayern’s training ground on Säbener Strasse on Wednesday morning.
The report claims the defense attorney “simply drove away” from the scene of the accident, while witnesses immediately called police to report the incident.
According to reports, de Ligt’s car was towed away and confiscated. The Dutch international is now likely to face criminal charges.
United head coach Erik ten Hag worked with De Ligt at Ajax and had previously shown interest in the 24-year-old, who played three seasons in Serie A for Juventus.
“It remains to be seen whether de Ligt will come, I know him well,” ten Hag told Dutch media in July.
The United boss previously said: “I wanted to sign him two years ago, but at that time he was already very far along in his journey to Bayern. Believe it or not, his name did not come from me,
“I was out of the process for three or four weeks while I was on holiday. During that time it was really the club, the newly established scouting and recruitment department, that brought in these players.
“The fact that there are Dutch players among them is actually a coincidence. First and foremost, they were players who were proposed by our organization. But of course I support that, that must be clear. And we still make the selection together.”
News of the alleged incident comes at a precarious time in De Ligt’s career, as he has slipped down the pecking order under new boss Vincent Kompany.
Bayern initially spent £59.5m to sign the highly-rated defender from Juventus in 2022.
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De Ligt played under three different coaches during this time and, after a brilliant start in Bayern, was unable to find his best form.
United remain a potential suitor for De Ligt after the club cooled their interest in Everton’s Jarrod Branthwaite following Everton’s valuation of the England star.
The Old Trafford club have already signalled their intention to launch a double attack on the Bundesliga giants, with Ten Hag also keen to sign De Ligt’s teammate Noussair Mazraoui.
According to The Athletic, FC Bayern rejected an initial offer for both players and demanded a higher transfer fee.
De Ligt was part of Ten Hag’s brilliant Ajax side that reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2019.