According to football journalist Di Marzio, as cited by the Express, Matthijs De Ligt is set to snub Barcelona and others to move to the French capital to play for Paris Saint Germain. De Ligt’s agent Mino Raiola reportedly met with PSG’s sporting director on Tuesday, and finer details of the deals were discussed.
The deal reportedly hinges on re-appointment of Leonardo, the former PSG technical director. Leonardo and Raiola have a good relationship, and previously they worked together to bring the likes of Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to PSG.
De Ligt looks set to sign a massive deal of £256,000-per-week, and in all this, Barcelona can come out as the big losers. For quite a long time, it was understood that the Catalan giants would have an advantage in luring the Dutch starlet to the Camp Nou. It was believed that De Ligt would follow the path of his national and club teammate De Jong who has already committed his future to Barcelona.
Manchester United and Liverpool’s name also did the round, but PSG have seemingly stolen a march on every one out of nowhere. De Ligt has been the most sought-after youngster in the past few months, and he didn’t do his reputation any harm after the season he had for Ajax.
The rise of De Ligt
The Dutch heavyweights won the Eredivisie title after a gap of five years, and a 19-year-old centre back led them to glory. Ajax would be remembered for their stellar run in the Champions League last season where they defeated heavyweights like Real Madrid and Juventus.
They might have lost out to Tottenham in the dying moments in the semi-finals, but they were praised universally for the brand of football they played.
In all this, De Ligt was a crucial part for his side in defence. He is defensively sound, but what makes him stand out is his on the ball ability. The Netherlands international is almost as good as a midfielder on the ball as he can pass it from the back and carry it forward. The 19-year-old is physically strong and impressive in the air as he scored some crucial goals as well.
Why Barcelona need De Ligt?
Barcelona have an ageing Gerard Pique who is on a downward trajectory. Clement Lenglet might be a decent bet, but he was found out against tough opponents. Samuel Umtiti missed a good chunk of the season due to injury, and it remains to be seen whether he would be able to get back to his best.
Missing out on De Ligt should come as a big blow to the club as the defender would have been a long term option at the club in defence as he is just 19. Valverde probably needs to look at other defenders to bolster his squad now.
