With their vice-captain and colossal man in Gerard Pique ageing, Barcelona have identified a terrific replacement for the World Cup winner.
Barcelona managed to snap up on the services of Frenkie de Jong ahead of the 2019/20 season and it is fair to say that the money they spent on the Dutchman is one of the best transfers made by Josep Maria Bartomeu. However, the midfielder was not the only Ajax Amsterdam player in which the club showed interest.
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It was publicly known that the Catalans remained interested in landing his national and former club teammate Matthijs de Ligt too, but the player’s wage demands and his separate agency fees did not allow them to do so. Plus, Cristiano Ronaldo turned agent and convinced the young centre-back to join him at Juventus.
After a turbulent start to life in Turin, the Netherlands international has settled in well at the Allianz Stadium and is certainly doing his bit to replace their ageing backline. In addition to that, he is a fan favourite and perfectly fits the bill for a defensive side that likes to hurt its opposition from dead-ball situations, particularly corners.
Joan Laporta confirming his candidacy though, might mean that Juventus might not be able to see enough of one of their most expensive signings ever. The Barca presidential candidate is hoping to land the ex-Ajax captain in a bid to strengthen the side’s defence, which will make him an ideal successor to Gerard Pique.
Having said that, it looks very unlikely that the Bianconeri will let go of the central defender and if the player himself wants to leave, the Serie A side will demand a significant increment on the 75 million euros it spent on him not too long ago. It will be interesting to see how the story pans out, but the Catalans’ hopes shouldn’t be high.