Matthijs De Ligt is the main target for Barcelona to bolster the defense and the Blaugrana will try to exploit their Dutch connections to sign him, Diario Gol reports. The Blaugrana will use his relationship with former Ajax teammate Frenkie De Jong and coach Ronald Koeman to convince him to join in the summer. Strengthening the back-line is one of the top priorities of recently re-elected president Joan Laporta given Gerard Pique’s injury problems and the inconsistent performances of Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti.
The Catalans were among the teams interested in the center-back when he transferred two years ago, but Juventus won the sweepstakes with a €85M offer. His agent Mino Raiola often motivated the move saying that playing in Italy is ideal for a young defender to hone in on his craft given the League’s historic prowess in that regard.
Calciomercato.com followed up the report coming from Spain indicating that the Bianconeri have no plans to sell De Ligt, as he is considered one of the pillars of the present and future squad. He is seen on a par with Kylian Mbappé and Neymar at PSG in terms of importance within the team and therefore it would take a gigantic offer in order to purchase him.
Juventus directors recently suggested the possibility of cashing in on some players in order to improve the financial situation of the club, which closed the last balance sheets with a €100M+ loss. However, they intend to hold onto the Dutch international for years to come, even though he would be their most expensive asset if put on the market.