“They refused to play them all because they wanted to play for Manchester United. That’s very heartbreaking. But they did something that shocked the club. They couldn’tbelieve their eyes”-Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui make their feelings clear after Man Utd have double bid rejected by Bayern Munich

There is currently ‘bemusement’ in the camps of Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui after Bayern Munich turned down an initial double offer from Manchester United for the pair.

United are targeting De Ligt and Mazraoui as they continue their squad overhaul following the summer arrivals of Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro.

De Ligt has been strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford for several months and has already engaged in talks with Erik ten Hag, who has openly discussed United’s ongoing pursuit of the defender.

“I know Matthijs well, of course, I’m not going to deny that,” Ten Hag told Dutch publication AD Sportwereld. “Two years ago I wanted to get him, but he was already very far along with Bayern Munich.” Ten Hag added, “We still have to wait and see whether De Ligt will come.”

Talks are also advancing between United and Bayern over a deal for right-back Noussair Mazraoui, who is keen on joining the ranks at Old Trafford after playing a bit-part role in Munich last season.

Personal terms for both De Ligt and Mazraoui are already in place on five-year contracts, which include an option to extend by 12 months, according to The Athletic. The same report suggests there was optimism at United and with the players’ representatives that the double offer would ‘satisfy’ Bayern given their outlook on the defensive duo. Bayern had made it clear that neither De Ligt nor Mazraoui were part of their plans this summer, but in a move that caused ‘bemusement’ in their camps, Bayern turned down United’s opening bid.

De Ligt and Mazraoui are both represented by the same agent, Rafaela Pimenta. Bayern are reported to value De Ligt at around £42.4 million plus add-ons, while Mazraoui could depart for around £20 million.

De Ligt is a huge fan of United boss Ten Hag. After the former Ajax boss took over at Old Trafford in 2022, he backed his old manager to succeed in Manchester.

“He is someone who loves his job and he loves to work,” said De Ligt. “He’s really into the details. This makes him a really good trainer. He has a lot of qualities (to succeed). He definitely improves players. He wants to do everything to make his team play better.”b