Manchester United are considering a fresh approach for Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt less than 12 months after they failed to land his signature, according to ESPN.

De Ligt rejected interest from United, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain last summer before completing a €75 million move from Ajax to Juventus after he captained the Dutch champions throughout their sensational run to the Champions League semi-finals last season.

After signing a five-year deal with Juventus, the 20-year-old has fallen out of favour with head coach Maurizio Sarri and has started only 15 of the club’s 26 games in Serie A, with knee and shoulder issues also adding to his woes.

Last summer United refused to get into a bidding war with Juventus or Barcelona as they had their eyes set on securing the services of both Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who cost a combined total of £130 million.

However, ESPN have reported that Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to recruit a central defender in the next transfer window, and the club have already drawn up a list of potential targets, including De Ligt and Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly.

De Ligt, who earns an eye-watering £210,000-a-week in Turin, is regarded as having the ideal profile for Solskjaer’s team in terms of his age, versatility and character.

Wantaway star Paul Pogba could possibly figure into a swap deal, with Juventus supposedly interested in the World Cup winner.

A trade deal involving the players would be relatively straight forward to execute as super agent Mino Raiola represents both players.

United are keen to recoup the entirety of the £89 million they shelled out for the 26-year-old Frenchman, who has suffered through a turbulent four-year stint at Old Trafford.

Doubts over this summer’s transfer market continue to persist with the coronavirus continuing to push back the football calendar.

It may mean that any transfer would have to wait until the summer of 2021 which may not please any of the parties involved.