Matthijs de Ligt to Barcelona: Barcelona make a move for the Dutch defender their ‘priority,’ according to reports from Spain.
Barcelona are struggling in the La Liga at the moment. The Catalan club dropped to second place in the league last weekend as they were held to a draw by Valencia. Sevilla have surprisingly taken the lead in the La Liga table.
Barca were benefitted from Real Madrid’s slump in form, but face a tough time in the league themselves.
Barcelona are winless since their last four matches in La Liga, and suffered a stunning defeat to the-then bottom-placed side Leganes last month.
International break couldn’t have come at a better time for the La Liga giants, as players return to start afresh in the domestic season.
In the meantime, Barcelona are also keeping tabs on the transfer market. According to Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona have already taken a big step over the acquisition of Adrien Rabiot. Now, Sport reports that the Catalan club has made the acquisition of Matthijs de Ligt their priority, and the Barcelona wants a move as early as in January.
Matthijs de Ligt to Barcelona:
Barcelona are going through a defensive crisis at the moment, as their key performer Samuel Umtiti is out with injury, while Gerard Pique is struggling with form. Their underwhelming performance at the back is reflected in their performances this season, as Ernesto Valverde’s side is currently on a four-match winless streak in the La Liga.
De Ligt once again showed how mature and smart he is for his age. One of the best players on the pitch, even though all Ajax players had a great game. He’s a once in a lifetime talent. A true heir to Pique. Has everything we need in a player and is a born leader. pic.twitter.com/m8QeGqFc0f
— Matthew® (@mattbolistic) October 2, 2018
Italian outlet Calciomercato had earlier claimed that de Ligt could cost Barcelona €50m. The 19-year old defender has already made 74 appearances for Ajax since making his debut for the club in the 2016/17 season.
Matthijs de Ligt (19):
‘The most important task of a captain is to strengthen the team. You can do that in several ways: improve the spirit or tactics, or to sign new players. In that last area, a role was reserved for me.’ pic.twitter.com/xmz9PTqkxs
— Sjors van Veen (@SjorsvVeen) October 12, 2018
Now, Spanish outlet Sport reports that Barcelona’s technical director, Eric Abidal saw Matthijs de Ligt play against Bayern Munich in the Champions League clash last month. The match finished 1-1 at the Allianz Arena.
Matthijs de Ligt is such a wonderful young footballer. There’s no doubt that he could be the greatest central defender in the world in due course.
— Matt (@FalseFirmino) October 2, 2018
According to the report, Barcelona wants to complete a transfer for the Dutch defender ‘as soon as possible.’ It claims that the Catalan giants have realized that the asking price for de Ligt is only going to increase in the summer. And so, the club wants to sign the player in January.
