The winter transfer window will begin next week. Bayern Munich are expected to be one of the busiest clubs during January since they urgently need to strengthen their squad. It is highly unlikely that Rekordmeister will sell any key player in January, but that doesn’t stop other top clubs from showing interest in Bayern’s players.
According to The Athletic (via iMiaSanMia) and SportBild, Arsenal have an interest in Bayern defender Matthijs de Ligt. A move for the Dutch defender in January is not possible since Die Roten are already short in central defense. The North London club will continue to monitor his situation and decide whether to make a move in the summer.
De Ligt arrived at Bayern in 2022 from Juventus for a reported fee close to €70 million. Bayern finally signed De Ligt after initially showing interest when he was playing for Ajax. He had a very productive debut season as he featured regularly under Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel.
The ongoing campaign has been difficult for De Ligt. Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae have been ahead of him for the two center-back spots in the starting XI. The Dutch international did fairly well when he was given opportunities in the first team.
Arsenal see Matthijs de Ligt as a 'long-term transfer target'. A January move is definitely ruled out and Arsenal are aware that they can't get the Dutchman next month due to Bayern's squad situation. Nevertheless, the Gunners remain interested in de Ligt, will continue… pic.twitter.com/MrOSdFrRRt
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) December 28, 2023
Injuries didn’t help De Ligt’s cause during Hinrunde. He missed several games due to two different injuries in the past few months. De Ligt made his return to action after a long lay-off due to a knee injury against VfB Stuttgart, which was the penultimate game of the Hinrunde. Tuchel will hope that he avoids injuries in Ruckrunde as Kim Min-jae will be away for weeks due to South Korea’s participation in the Asian Cup.
Despite a lack of playing time this season, De Ligt remains a crucial part of the squad. It will take an enormous offer from Arsenal for Die Roten to even think about selling him next summer. Moreover, De Ligt is also settled in Munich. He will not force a move away from Munich unless Tuchel and the club tell him to leave.
Meanwhile, Bayern are eager to sign one of Arsenal’s current defenders. The record Bundesliga champions are reportedly interested in Takehiro Tomiyasu. The Japanese defender is on Die Roten’s radar to strengthen defense, but transfer in January is unlikely since he will also participate in the Asian Cup.
Bayern need a versatile defender (Center-back/Right-back) early in the window to give Tuchel an ample number of options for the start of Ruckrunde. Alongside defense, the German coach will also hope to strengthen the midfield by signing a defensive midfielder.