Barcelona Opinion: Should Barca go all out for De Ligt?
According to a report from Daily Express, Barcelona are set to make last-ditch efforts to sign their long-term target Matthijs de Ligt, as the transfer saga of Ajax defender has taken another twist.
The report also claims that Juventus, who seemed to be in pole position to sign the Dutch teenager, fear now that the Catalans could go ahead of them in the transfer race.
Earlier, the Bianconeri had an initial bid worth £58million rejected .
De Ligt – one of the promising teenage centre-backs at the moment
The 19-year-old was one of the promising stars that the Amsterdam outfit produced in the previous season. His defensive attributes, as well as his leadership skills at this tender age, have also blown others away.
A youth product of Ajax, De Ligt broke into the main team in 2016 but the 2018/19 campaign turned out to be the attention-grabbing one as he played a key role for Erik ten Hag’s side to achieve a domestic treble and ended up as the semi-finalists in the Champions League.
His decider goal against Juventus in the quarter-final was one of the best moments in Ajax’s fairytale last season. Furthermore, teaming up with Virgil Van Dijk to form formidable defence in Dutch national side, De Ligt also had a similar sort of success in National League, ending as the runners-up.
Barca need to sort out defensive reinforcements
The Blaugrana had fewer concerns about their centre-backs in the previous season as Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet were cut above the rest of La Liga centre-back duos.
However, with the former one nearing his twilight, the Catalans have to find a long-term worthy successor in due course.
Meanwhile, readymade option Samuel Umtiti has fallen down the pecking order, owing to the inconsistency caused by injury woes.
Jean-Clair Todibo, who was bought from Toulouse earlier this year, has some behavioural concerns, leaving Valverde with weak bench strength.
With that being said, De Ligt would be the best solution to fill the void of Spaniard defender Pique.
The Dutch prodigy is accustomed to a more possession-based style of play which is similar to that of Barca. In fact, he held a pass success percentage of 90, with an average of 4 clearances per game in Eredivisie last season.
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Final Verdict
Barca made a bargain of a deal by signing De Ligt’s teammate and midfield sensation Frenkie de Jong. And they should leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of De Ligt, who can make the Catalans an unstoppable force in Europe.