Emerging Portuguese star is ideal alternative to De Ligt for Barcelona
Barcelona should start looking at alternatives to Matthijs de Ligt
Matthijs de Ligt is very close to joining Paris Saint-Germain. He also has offers from Juventus and Barcelona, but his agent Mino Raiola has engineered a move for his client which is most financially rewarding. This leaves the club in a bit of a quandary.
There are many talented young centre-backs across Europe, especially in the Bundesliga. But there could be a player in nearby Portugal who can meet Barça’s needs to perfection, Benfica’s emerging star Rúben Dias.
The 22-year old centre-back broke into the Benfica first-team the season before last, but really started performing consistently last season under Rui Vitória. He sustained his form into the reign of Vitória’s successor, Bruno Lage as Benfica ended the season as Portuguese champions.
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Dias has also made waves on the international platform, emerging as one of the most crucial players in the Portugal setup which recently won the UEFA Nations League. Undoubtedly, Rúben Dias is among the finest young defenders in Europe.
Due to the breakout season that he has had, the youngster has attracted interest from Manchester United and Real Madrid. But it is not too late for Barça to jump in the fray with a big offer, and the opportunity to succeed Gerard Piqué in the first-team.
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Dias’ range of passing and his goalscoring threat in the opposition box make him a complete defender, with the stats backing him up. Barça will need to part with a significant amount to land his signature, but it will be worth every penny.