Juventus remain the odds-on favourites to sign Matthijs de Ligt this summer but Manchester United have been backed into second place to land the Dutchman.

Ajax sensation De Ligt has caught the eye of a number of suitors and the Eredivisie champions are ready to sell their youth product.

The 19-year-old is said to be worth around £71m, with Italian newspaper Tuttosport reporting Juve have offered £60m up front plus £10m in bonuses for the youngster.

And while United are yet to launch an offer for the Netherlands international, bettors are backing the Red Devils into second place to sign him.

Juventus Still Favourites

Betway have Juve as the 1/5 (-500) favourites to snap up De Ligt, even though right now there is no agreement between the Italian giants and Ajax. That shows how confident the bookies are in the player heading to Serie A.

United, meanwhile, have been backed into second place at 5/1 (+500), having been as far out as 14/1 (+1400) last weekend.

Why Man Utd Have Shifted

The big shift in United’s odds appears to come from the growing expectation that manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will restructure his defence this summer.

Having failed to adequately strengthen last pre-season, United’s hierarchy have set out to bolster the back line.

United are in talks with Crystal Palace over a move for full-bar Aaron Wan-Bissaka, while Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly is 4/1 (+400) with BetVictor to join Solskjaer at Old Trafford.

This focus on defenders appears to be driving punters to backing a move for De Ligt, even if Juve remain in the hotseat.

Other De Ligt Suitors

Barcelona seemed at one stage nailed on to sign De Ligt, but according to Spanish newspaper Marca, De Ligt’s £10m-a-season wage demands have scuppered any chance of a deal.

As Bookies.com reported earlier this summer, Liverpool were second favourites at one stage to sign De Ligt. But their interest appears to have waned over the last few weeks and they are now 25/1 (+2500) to swoop.