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#2 De Ligt
When Barcelona secured Frenkie de Jong's signature in the spring, club president Bartomeu was asked about Matthijs de Ligt on which he said that the defender is a fantastic player but is not on the club's radar at the moment. A few months later, after Ajax's run in the Champions League which was led by their mercurial 19-year-old captain prompted Barcelona to re-evaluate their stance for the player and they decided to go in for the player. Given the rich ties the club share between them, the transfer was considered straight forward. De Ligt too was excited to join Barcelona.
Earlier, various reports even suggested that Barcelona and the player had reached an agreement. However, the talks were postponed until later, as the Dutch centre-back decided to focus on his team's Champions League semi-final tie against Tottenham. Since then, the player's market value raised just as his personal demands. Mino Raiola, De Ligt's agent, has reportedly asked Barcelona to improve his personal deal as he wants to receive more money as compensation for the transfer.
The club's wage bill already accounts for nearly 85% of the clubs income (way above the 75% recommended mark) and the board has decided against raising their offer and believe their initial offer is respectable enough. This has prompted clubs like Manchester United and PSG to enter the race for the teenager's signature. Both clubs have unparallel riches and won't hesitate to lash out money.
But reports from England suggest that Ed Woodward, Manchester United's chairman, is unsure over the move as he wants to prevent Raiola from strengthening his influence at United's dressing room (Raiola already has his client Pogba at Manchester United) and PSG will first need to sell before buying due to Financial Fair Play rules irrespective they have cash to spend or not. This means Barcelona still have a strong foothold over the transfer and these reports might also be a move from Raiola himself to get a better deal for his client from the club.
