Bayern Munich honorary president Uli Hoeness believes Matthijs de Ligt could leave this transfer window amid rumours he could be heading to Manchester United.

De Ligt, who played under Erik ten Hag at Ajax, has been linked to a move to Old Trafford after struggling in his first two seasons at Bayern.

No formal agreement between the clubs has been reached, though reports suggest the centre-back has agreed to personal terms.

Ten Hag confirmed the club were interested in signing De Ligt, who would be their second defensive addition if he joins, after they sealed a £52million deal for Leny Yoro last week.

Bayern, meanwhile, have also bolstered their defence in the off-season by bringing in Hiroki Ito from Stuttgart, and Hoeness hinted there was a chance De Ligt could leave the Allianz Arena.

"No more players will come unless two or three players leave first," Hoeness said.

"Max Eberl and Christoph Freund know full well that no one will come unless one or two prominent players leave. The FC Bayern has no money-wasters."

"It is possible that a defender will still leave. De Ligt is Dutch, and the coach at Man Utd is Dutch.

"I would have no problem if he stayed. Personally, I would not sell [Dayot] Upamecano."

De Ligt made just 22 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern last year, starting 16, as the club finished third behind unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen and surprise package Stuttgart.

Erik ten Hag has confirmed Manchester United hold an interest in signing Matthijs de Ligt but has denied pushing for a reunion with the centre-back.

De Ligt, who played under Ten Hag at former club Ajax, has been linked with a move to Old Trafford after struggling in his first two seasons with Bayern Munich.

United sealed a £52million deal for Lille centre-back Leny Yoro this week but could still move for another defender, having had bids rejected for Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite. 

Speaking to Dutch outlet AD Sportwereld, Ten Hag confirmed De Ligt features on United's shortlist but claimed he was not the first person to suggest him as a target.

"It remains to be seen whether De Ligt will come. I know Matthijs well and I will not deny that," Ten Hag said.

"I wanted to sign him two years ago but at that time, he was already very far along to join Bayern Munich.

"Believe it or not, his name did not come from me in the process."

De Ligt only featured in 22 of Bayern's 34 Bundesliga matches last season, starting 16 times, as they finished third behind unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen and surprise package Stuttgart.

Bayern kept just two clean sheets with De Ligt involved in 2023-24, with the likes of Dayot Upamecano, Kim Min-jae and Eric Dier often edging him out for a starting spot.

Day two of Euro 2024 picked up the excitement where it left off, with a historic round of games on Saturday.

Switzerland joined Germany level on points at the top of Group A with an impressive 3-1 win over Hungary before Spain cruised to a 3-0 victory over Croatia in their Group B opener with three first-half goals.

Italy's European Championships title defence got off to a perfect start as they bounced back from conceding the earliest goal in the tournament's history (23 seconds) by beating Albania 2-1.

While the football continued to entertain, there was also plenty of action on social media. Here's a pick of some of the best posts.

What might have been for Wimbledon

AFC Wimbledon's official X account drew plenty of attention as the admin latched onto the hype over Jamal Musiala, following the Germany international's magical display against Scotland.

Musiala grew up in England, and represented AFC Wimbledon, via the Corpus Christi Primary School, in the EFL Utilita Kids Cup.

It's clear from the highlights of that match, in which Musiala scored a hat-trick and left defenders mesmerised - a bit like he did on Friday - that he was a special talent.

Embolo back on the scene

Breel Embolo endured an injury-hit campaign for Monaco, but he is back to fitness in time to feature for Switzerland, for whom he remains a crucial player.

And after coming on as a second-half substitute, Embolo sealed the three points as the Swiss beat Hungary 3-1 in the first game of the day. 

As the official Euro 2042 X account pointed out, Embolo has now netted in successive Euros tournaments for his nation.

Birthday boy

Pascal Gross is a newcomer to Germany's squad, and came on for his major tournament debut during Friday's 5-1 thrashing of Scotland.

The Brighton midfielder then celebrated his 33rd birthday on Saturday, with Germany's official X account sharing the celebrations.

That big win over Scotland, and his Euros bow, was surely a great way to welcome in his 34th year.

UEFA turns 70

Gross was not the only one celebrating a birthday on Saturday.

Indeed, UEFA marked the 70th anniversary of its founding, which came on June 15, 1954.

"It's a story of devotion, dedication and dreams..." shared the governing bodies' official X account.

Barcelona show pride of record-breaking youngster

Spain got off to the perfect start in the so-called 'group of death' with a rampant 3-0 win over Croatia on Saturday.

But, when the team sheets came out before the game, all the headlines quickly turned to Lamine Yamal, who became the youngest-ever player to appear at the Euros at 16 years and 338 days.

After an impressive performance by the youngster, Barcelona were quick to remind fans where he came from with a post on X: "He's very good... and he's ours."

Van Dijk, Simons and De Ligt put to the test

The Netherlands are yet to open their campaign in Euro 2024, but put aside their preparation to take some time to answer questions from young fans.

Xavi Simons was quizzed on which defender scares him the most - fellow Dutchman Virgil van Dijk - while the captain and Matthijs de Ligt rated their chances of winning the tournament.

Final preparations

England open their campaign when they take on Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday, and on Saturday, Gareth Southgate's team ran through their MD-1 training session.

All 26 players were involved in the session, with England allowing their fans to watch on live via a post on X.

Only part of the session was broadcast, however, so any Serbia spies could not garner too much information about Southgate's tactics ahead of the Group C clash.

Matthijs De Ligt believes the Netherlands have every chance of claiming their first international trophy since 1988 at Euro 2024. 

De Ligt, who will be featuring in his third major tournament for the Oranje in Germany, did not feature in the final four games of their qualifying campaign through injury.

The 24-year-old endured another stop-start season with Bayern Munich, making 22 appearances in the Bundesliga and was left on the bench as the Netherlands concluded their preparations for the competition against Iceland. 

De Ligt has made 45 appearances for his country and is one of the more experienced players within Ronald Koeman's ranks heading into the tournament despite his age.

However, De Ligt is confident that the selected 26-man group has more than enough to deal with the pressures of tournament football.

"It's good that we have a lot of guys at top teams in Europe,” he said ahead of their Group D opener against Poland in Hamburg on Sunday.

“That’s very important for a tournament like this because it means we have the necessary experience playing against top players every three to four days.

"We have a lot of quality across the board. We have to take it game by game but I think we can certainly go far.”

The Netherlands have had to deal with a number of injuries leading up to the tournament, with Barcelona's Frenkie De Jong the latest to withdraw from the squad. 

While the Oranje have an array of talent within their group, De Ligt believes not having a standout player could prove to be an advantage heading into their Euro 2024 campaign. 

“It means that everyone has their nose on the same starting line and are all pulling in the same direction.

“We have a nice, good group. It's about performance. We are working well on that. We have a group that can grow closer together, on and off the field."

Thomas Tuchel reflects on "tough to accept" defeat after Real Madrid came from behind to win 2-1 and knock Bayern Munich out of the Champions League on Wednesday.

After a 2-2 draw in the first leg of the semi-final at the Allianz Arena, Bayern took the lead in the 68th minute through Alphonso Davies.

However, Joselu came off the bench to score twice in three minutes to send the LaLiga champions to the Champions League final with a 4-3 aggregate win over Bayern.

"It hurts. It’ll take a while to recover, but on the one hand, it’s a loss where we left it all out on the pitch,” Tuchel told DAZN after the game.

"Of course, it’s tough to accept. It’s part of reality. No regrets. But on the other, there were too many injuries, a few too many substitutions, too many cramps.

"We started with a front four and by the end they were all off the pitch. And then Manu, who had been exceptional in saving us all night, made a mistake he wouldn’t make in another 100 years."

In stoppage time, Matthijs de Ligt had the ball in the back of the net, but the referee had already blown his whistle after the linesman raised his flag, so VAR could not intervene.

The replays showed that the original decision was closer than first thought, and Tuchel was frustrated with how the situation was handled.

Speaking to TNT Sports, Tuchel said: "We are almost through, it's almost there and there was a very unusual mistake from our best player for the equaliser, then we conceded the second one in stoppage time.

"Then we scored one and there was a disastrous decision from the linesman and the referee. It feels like a betrayal in the end. There was a huge fight, we left everything on the pitch, and we were almost there. Now we say congratulations to Real Madrid.

"The linesman says sorry, but that does not help. To raise the flag in a moment like this... The referee sees we get the second ball, and we get the shot - it's a very, very bad decision. It's against the rules. It's a disaster. It's hard to swallow, but that's the way it is."

Manuel Neuer made five saves in the game and looked equal to Madrid’s threat until he spilled the ball in the build-up to Joselu’s first goal.

"Anyone who’s ever played football knows how I’m feeling right now," he told DAZN.

"That we’ve been knocked out in the closing stages, having led 1-0 until the 88th minute, it’s extremely bitter.

"We’d taken one step to London; we saw ourselves in the final, and now I’m lost for words."

Bayern Munich defender Raphael Guerreiro is doubtful for next week's Champions League semi-final return leg at Real Madrid after he picked up an injury in their 3-1 loss to Stuttgart on Saturday, head coach Thomas Tuchel has said.

Bayern, who also had Eric Dier taken off at half-time with a head injury, face Real in Spain on Wednesday after their 2-2 draw in Munich earlier this week.

Portugal international Guerreiro was taken off in the 17th minute after he hurt his ankle in an attempt to block a shot.

"Raphael Guerreiro needed crutches to walk. It is very, very bitter for us. He was supposed to get some playing time today to be ready for Wednesday. Instead, now we have to see what happens," Tuchel told reporters.

"Eric Dier had to get stitches to the head wound that then opened up again so we at some point said it was enough. We did not want to risk it."

Bayern have several injury concerns, with defender Matthijs De Ligt still doing individual training and fellow defender Dayot Upamecano, who came on for Dier, working back to full fitness after recovering from injury.

"If there ever was a day when we needed to put this behind us quickly then it is today, and we see what we need for Wednesday," Tuchel said.

"The medical meetings at the moment are more maths than medical. Who is on 60 per cent, who on 30 per cent, who can't play at all," said the coach, who will leave at the end of the season following a disappointing domestic run.

Bayern are second in the league, two points ahead of Stuttgart in third and with two games left to play. The title has already been wrapped up by leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

Bayern Munich travel to Stuttgart this weekend and are ready to rotate their side with the Champions League semi-final second leg at Real Madrid to come four days later, manager Thomas Tuchel said.

The league title has been secured by Bayer Leverkusen, and with the Bundesliga's top five clubs guaranteed Champions League football next season, Saturday's clash between Bayern in second and third-placed Stuttgart is not crucial.

"We will give a few players the chance to pick up some rhythm," Tuchel said at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

"Of course, we will also take a few players out and allow ourselves to adapt the rhythm to Wednesday. 

"But that doesn't relieve us of our responsibility, that those who play have to fight and show grit there."

Bayern drew 2-2 at home to Madrid on Tuesday, a game Matthijs de Ligt missed due to injury, and the Dutch defender will also sit out the trip to Stuttgart in the hope of making the return game in Spain.

"Matthijs de Ligt won't be in the squad, as the plan is that he returns to training on Sunday, then we have got three days," Tuchel said.

"Jamal Musiala won't be in the squad. Same procedure there. Dayot Upamecano will try and train [Friday], so we'll see."

Leroy Sane scored in the draw with Madrid, after missing the last four league games through injury. The winger has played three Champions League games in that time and will be in the squad for Stuttgart.

"You always try to have a connection to the players. Leroy's been training with pain for seven or eight weeks, but is always available," Tuchel said.

"He has a high threshold. He deserves the utmost respect there. He's a bit short there at the moment because he can't train properly. 

"But he is in training and is coming to Stuttgart."

Bayern have 69 points, five ahead of Stuttgart with three games remaining.

Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel wants to build on his side’s last-gasp win over Leipzig when they travel to Freiburg on Friday.

Harry Kane’s stoppage-time winner last Sunday ended Bayern’s run of three straight defeats in all competitions.

“It’s been a good week,” Tuchel told a press conference. “A win always helps everyone, particularly a last-minute win. It’s given us confidence and a positive general feeling.

“We’ve had a good week, the messaging hasn’t changed much. We’re carrying on. Tomorrow it’s about being ready. The focus is more than ever on the here and now.”

Bayern remain eight points adrift of Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen so their season probably hinges on overturning a 1-0 deficit against Lazio in the second leg of their Champions League meeting on Tuesday.

But Tuchel insisted: “The match takes place before Lazio. It’s a completely different match.

“The best preparation for one match is a successful performance. We have to take it up a notch. We managed a little uptick against Leipzig, which has given us energy.

“I’m confident we’ll win tomorrow, but it’ll only happen with full focus. It’s always difficult in Freiburg.

“They’re very flexible, very variable and do a lot of running. They carry the ball well down the right with (Ritsu) Doan. (Vincenzo) Grifo on the left tries to be a threat with crosses from deep.

“They also use long balls with up to seven attacking players. We need answers and that’s what we’ll prepare the team for. It’s always passionate in Freiburg, too.”

Tuchel will hand a late fitness test to former Manchester City winger Leroy Sane.

“Leroy always wants to play,” he said. “He’s someone who can tolerate pain extremely well. He’s felt something in the last few weeks.

“Maybe he’s been grinning and bearing it a bit too much. I get the impression he’s not completely free. He has a lot of aches and pains and is paying a bit of a price for the overload.

“We need to find the best solution for tomorrow. He’s doing an individual test now. If he can, we’ll take him into the final training session.

“We’ll see if he can make the squad tomorrow and perhaps help us from the bench. We have to look from day to day.”

Matthijs de Ligt is suspended in Freiburg so Minjae Kim will come into the side.

“Serge Gnabry is back in training but it’s too early to take him,” added Tuchel.

“Alphonso Davies is also back in training, he’ll be in the squad. Kingsley Coman, Sacha Boey and Noussair Mazraoui aren’t available.”

What the papers say

Tottenham are confident they will keep manager Ange Postecoglou amid interest from Liverpool, the Telegraph reports. Reds boss Jurgen Klopp announced he will step down from the club at the end of the season, with ex-midfielder and current Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso favourite for the position.

The Daily Mail says West Ham have delayed contract negotiations with manager David Moyes as he deals with a seven-game winless streak.

Manchester United are reportedly interested in Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt, the Sun reports, with the 24-year-old said to be unhappy at the German club.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Bernardo Silva: Manchester City’s 29-year-old midfielder is a target for Paris St Germain with the French club reportedly ready to pay his £51million release clause, Spanish outlet Fijaches says.

Kylian Mbappe: The Athletic reports the French striker, who is available on a free transfer this summer, is not happy with Real Madrid’s latest offer.

Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt has suffered a knee injury at the club’s training camp in Faro, Portugal.

It is unknown how long De Ligt will be out of action but Bayern confirmed he will not be able to train with the squad as they prepare for their match with Werder Bremen on Sunday.

A club statement read: “Matthijs de Ligt has suffered a capsular injury in his left knee during the training camp in Faro, Portugal. The diagnosis was confirmed by FC Bayern’s medical department following an MRI scan.”

The Dutchman missed the training session on Tuesday alongside fellow defenders Dayot Upamecano and new signing Eric Dier, who left the camp ahead of the birth of his first child.

Bayern will continue preparations in Portugal before returning to Germany for the weekend’s fixture as they look to close the gap on league leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel is expecting the unexpected when his side returns to Bundesliga action on Sunday against Freiburg.

Bayern sit third in the table, unbeaten in their opening six matches, but had to fight back from 2-0 down to salvage a point in last week’s 2-2 draw at Leipzig.

Tuchel’s side also came from behind in midweek to win 2-1 in Copenhagen and make it two wins from two Champions League group matches.

After quickly refocusing on this weekend’s domestic challenge, Tuchel told a press conference: “We really want to get all three points, but we know how difficult it will be, so we’ll have to show up on Sunday.

“Freiburg change their system a lot and I’m 100 per cent sure that they’ll do everything possible to make our lives difficult. We’ll have to be ready for that.”

Freiburg have not beaten Bayern in the Bundesliga in 14 attempts – their last win being in 2015 – but they knocked Tuchel’s side out of the DFB Cup last season.

Lucas Holer scored a 95th-minute penalty as Freiburg came from behind to win the quarter-final tie 2-1 in Tuchel’s second game in charge of Bayern.

The Bavarians’ last three matches have all been on the road and Tuchel admitted after Tuesday night’s win in Denmark that the travel had taken its toll.

“It was a long journey, which the boys are feeling the effects of,” he said. “We’ve played a lot of away games recently.”

Tuchel confirmed Matthijs de Ligt has still not recovered from the knee injury sustained in last month’s 7-0 home win against Bochum, but Raphael Guerreiro was back in training.

The Portugal midfielder has been sidelined since injuring his calf during pre-season.

“Unfortunately, Matthijs de Ligt has not made as quick a recovery as we had hoped for. Dayot Upamecano and Kim (Min-jae) are fit to play,” Tuchel added.

Freiburg, whose cup success at the Allianz Arena last season was their only win against Bayern in Munich, will be without suspended midfielder Nicolas Hofler.

Michael Gregoritsch and Yannik Keitel both missed Freiburg’s 2-1 home Europa League defeat to West Ham on Thursday and remain doubtful.

Harry Kane bagged a hat-trick as Bayern Munich maintained their unbeaten run in the Bundesliga after hammering Bochum 7-0.

The hosts ran riot with the England captain scoring just minutes after Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s opener and goals from Matthijs de Ligt and Leroy Sane gave them a 4-0 lead at half-time.

Their dominance continued after the break as Kane scored from the spot and assisted Mathys Tel before earning his first hat-trick for Bayern with minutes to go.

Kane’s excellent start with Bayern means he has now scored seven goals in five league matches as the defending Bundesliga champions sit top of the table.

The hosts threatened early as Manuel Riemann saved from Choupo-Moting in the first minute, but the forward made no mistake the second time after Kingsley Coman squared the ball to him for an easy tap-in just four minutes into the match.

Kane doubled their lead in the 13th minute with a neat finish into the bottom corner and soon had a chance to earn his second but blasted the ball over the bar.

Sven Ulreich was called into action to make a diving save from Christopher Antwi-Adjei, but Bayern quickly had their third in the 29th minute after Joshua Kimmich’s corner found De Ligt, who thumped a header into the corner.

Another great chance saw Kane thread the ball through to Choupo-Moting, who was denied by Riemann, but the England captain then hit a great pass for Sane, who burst down the centre of the pitch to tuck the ball into the far bottom corner seven minutes before half-time.

Riemann made two crucial saves late in the first half to deny Kane and Coman in quick succession, but the goals kept flowing for Bayern after the break.

Ivan Ordets conceded a penalty after handling the ball in the box and Kane earned his brace in the 54th minute with a low spot-kick beating Riemann.

Coman kept the pressure on, going close a few minutes later with a curling effort clipping the post and Frans Kratzig smashed an effort towards goal forcing Riemann to tip the ball over the bar, but Bayern extended their lead in the 81st minute when Kane found Tel who fired the ball into the far corner.

The former Tottenham man then earned his hat-trick with two minutes of normal time left, getting on the end of a ball from Sane to slot the ball in at the near post.

Bayern Munich exacted some revenge on Freiburg and maintained their two-point lead on Borussia Dortmund at the Bundesliga summit with a 1-0 win at Europa-Park Stadion.

Thomas Tuchel's side were eliminated from the DFB-Pokal by Freiburg on Tuesday, but they dug deep four days on to remain on course for an 11th successive domestic title.

Matthijs de Ligt gave Bayern the key breakthrough six minutes into the second half with a thunderous long-range strike, either side of some fine goalkeeping from Mark Flekken.

Fourth-place Freiburg had been unbeaten in seven league games, but they were unable to respond as Bayern made it back-to-back league wins since Tuchel took charge.

Flekken was kept busy in the Freiburg goal in a lively – albeit goalless – first half to keep out efforts from Serge Gnabry, Sadio Mane, Benjamin Pavard and Leroy Sane.

Those missed chances almost came back to haunt Bayern when Ritsu Doan got an outstretched leg to Michael Gregoritsch's cross and sent the ball against the right-hand post. 

Bayern's breakthrough arrived through their first on-target attempt of the second half, with De Ligt's deflected shot from 25 yards swerving past a helpless Flekken.

Flekken produced one of the saves of the season soon after to deny Mane from close range, while Sane clipped the ball over the crossbar with just the goalkeeper to beat.

Sane squandered another chance when through one-on-one, but only after Yann Sommer had produced a superb save at the other end to keep out Roland Sallai's shot.

Gnabry struck the post in the closing seconds, while Matthias Ginter glanced wide from the final meaningful attack, but Bayern successfully saw out another crucial victory.

Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt was surprised by the club's decision to part company with head coach Julian Nagelsmann and says it has been "hard to swallow".

German heavyweights Bayern officially called time on Nagelsmann's 20-month reign on Friday and swiftly appointed Thomas Tuchel as his successor.

Nagelsmann won the Bundesliga in his only full season in Bavaria, but Bayern find themselves a point behind Borussia Dortmund with 25 games of this campaign played.

Bayern face leaders Dortmund in a huge clash on Saturday, while they also have DFB-Pokal and Champions League quarter-final ties to play in April.

And with the club still in the hunt for a treble, De Ligt – who has been away on international duty with the Netherlands – did not see Nagelsmann's sacking coming.

"I was surprised," he told Dutch TV broadcaster NOS. "We're second in the league and in the quarter-finals of the cups. We're still playing for everything.

"Those in charge decide who the coach is, but it was a difficult decision that is hard to swallow. But I also believe that Tuchel is a coach who suits us."

According to a report in the German media, certain Bayern players turned against Nagelsmann and effectively forced him out of the Allianz Arena.

But De Ligt, who has played 31 times since arriving at Bayern from Juventus at the start of the season, refuted those suggestions.

"Oh, the German media. That says it all," he said. "I had a good relationship with him and his team.

"I sent him a message and thanked him for everything he taught me.

"He really wanted me here at the club and was very important to me. 

"Thanks in part to him, I have taken important steps in my development over the past few months."

Cody Gakpo and Matthijs de Ligt were among five players sent home from the Netherlands national team camp on Thursday after being hit by a virus.

The drastic news meant coach Ronald Koeman was forced into a rapid rethink of his plans for Friday's Euro 2024 qualifier away to France.

In a statement on its website, the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) said Liverpool forward Gakpo and Bayern Munich defender De Ligt had left the squad, along with Newcastle United defender Sven Botman, PSV midfielder Joey Vermeen and Anderlecht goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.

Botman, Vermeen and Verbruggen are uncapped and were hoping for their first active involvements with the Oranje, while Gakpo and De Ligt are key figures in the Dutch side.

Koeman called in Vitesse goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen, Inter defender Stefan de Vrij and Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch to fortify his group.

The KNVB described the problem facing the five sick players as "a viral infection", without giving further details.

The Netherlands tackle World Cup runners-up France at the Stade de France in Paris on Friday and then host Gibraltar on Monday in Rotterdam.