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What is the story?
Barcelona’s dream of landing Ajax star Matthijs de Ligt is getting more and more complicated with each and every passing day.
It has been claimed that the defender’s agent Mino Raiola wants De Ligt to be auctioned to Juventus and Premier League clubs as Barcelona currently stall on a move.
In case you didn’t know….
De Ligt’s value in the transfer market has hit its peak as the 19-year-old Ajax sensation has improved in leaps and bound this season. Several European heavyweights, including the likes of Barcelona, Juventus and Manchester United are interested in the defender.
The Dutch international was the main reason behind Ajax’s sensational run in the Champions League. Although he failed to inspire Ajax to their first Champions League final appearance since 1996, he helped the club to domestic double triumph. The giant centre-back has also racked up eight goals and four assists during the course of the season.
Barcelona have been the favourites to land the centere-back for the last few months, especially after signing his Ajax team-mate Frenkie de Jong - his close friend and fellow countryman back in January. According to various sources in Spain and Netherlands, Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu is very much eager to sign the centre-back and convinced him to agree on personal terms with only final details to be discussed to Ajax.
Meanwhile, it was also reported recently that Barcelona have conveyed the message of not raising their offer for the Ajax prodigy, despite being pressurized to do so.
The heart of the matter
It has been reported that Raiola is still offering De Ligt to other European giants including the likes of Juventus, Manchester United and Liverpool.
The report also claims that if the situation remains the same in the next few weeks, with Barcelona stalling on a approach, Juventus could come up with an improved bid to be back in the race to sign the hugely talented defender.
What’s next?
It will be fascinating to see how the story unfolds in the near future and whether Barcelona can pull off the huge task of getting De Ligt on board.
