Barcelona reignite their interest in signing former Ajax captain as a long term replacement for Gerard Pique
Matthijs de Ligt signed for Juventus in the summer of 2019-20 for a sum of 85 million euros. The former Ajax captain stunned the world with his defensive abilities and the maturity that he showed at the tender age of 19.
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Ajax ran riot in the UEFA Champions League last season under their captain De Ligt and Erik Ten Hag. Ajax’s Champions League fairytale campaign saw the Dutch-based team make it till the semi-final against last year’s finalist Tottenham Hotspur. The Dutch team captained under De ligt were minutes away from securing a place in the Champions League final before Lucas Moura pulled off the unthinkable in the dying minutes of the game.
Ajax had lost that game but had won the hearts of several football fans all over the world. Their champions league campaign was one to remember as Ajax knocked out Real Madrid and Juventus in the knockout stages.
Matthijs de Ligt performances in the 2018-19 season helped him win the coveted Golden Boy trophy.
The following season saw De Ligt being rated as of the brightest prospects in European football. The Juventus defender stands 6’2 fee tall with a well-built physique and is a major threat in the air during set-pieces. The former Ajax captain is fast, strong and also has the skill of playing the ball from the backline and distributing it with ease.
Before Juventus signed Matthijs De Ligt this season there was speculation about a move for the Dutch defender to join his fellow Ajax teammate Frenkie de jong at Camp Nou.
However, Matthijs opted to join Cristiano Ronaldo in Turin rather than playing with Frenkie De Jong and Lionel Messi in Barcelona. The move to Juventus has not paid off well for Matthijs as he has fallen down the pecking order after a series of unacceptable defensive errors.
The Dutch defender does not seem to have adapted well to the Italian style of football and seems lost most of the time when he has graced the pitch.
Maurizio Sarri opted to play the new Turkish international defender Merih Demiral who sparkled in defense when the opportunity arose. Unfortunately, Demiral tore his ACL and will be ruled out for the rest of the season.
Although it is too early to write off the 2018 Golden Boy winner as a flop, Barcelona once again interested and is willing to offer Juventus 80 million euros for the Dutch defender according to Don Balon.
A move to the Camp Nou might just be something that De Ligt requires to get his game running back again after a sour patch in Turin. De Ligt would be welcomed with open arms in the dressing room of the Blaugrana by his close friend Frenkie De Jong.
The Blaugrana plan on selling their French defender Samuel Umtiti to fund the transfer of De Ligt who will be the predecessor of Barcelona legend Gerard Pique, according to Don Balon.
Should Barcelona sign De Ligt or should they go for Dayot Upamenco?