According to the radio station Onda Cero (translated by Liverpool Echo), Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu is in the Dutch capital to try and begin discussions about a potential deal to bring Matthijs de Ligt to the Nou Camp amidst recent speculation linking him with a move to Liverpool. The same source has also mentioned that the Catalans are trying to steal a march on their competition by starting preliminary discussions with Ajax and the player’s representatives.
Mundo Deportivo has also backed the claim by stating that the Dutch centre-back will meet with Edwin van der Sar (Ajax chief executive), Marc Overmars (Ajax director of football) and a delegation from Barca on Monday and Tuesday with the aim of coming to an agreement before the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals kick off next month.
This recent development will be a bitter pill to swallow for the Reds and their chances of landing the player. Jurgen Klopp’s squad would have benefitted from acquiring a player of de Ligt’s potential. Furthermore, the prospect of the Ajax defensive ace linking up with his international teammate, Virgil Van Dijk at Anfield was mouth-watering for anyone associated with Liverpool.
Now that Barca has stolen a march on the Merseyside club, it will be up to Klopp to decide whether he would also move in for the player as well or concentrate on other transfer targets in the summer.
De Ligt has enjoyed a fantastic campaign with Ajax and has put in a series of commanding displays at the back during this campaign. He has played a crucial part in their UEFA Champions League run-in where they are now set to face Juventus in the quarter-final stage of the competition.
The Dutch international has shown a lot of maturity at the tender age of 19. He has been a very reliable defender and has the potential to become one of the greats of the beautiful game if he can continue improving on the pitch.
The Ajax wonderkid’s addition would have significantly bolstered Klopp’s defensive options at Anfield. However, Liverpool still have Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren in their ranks to play alongside Van Dijk at the heart of Klopp’s backline. Even then, it will be a massive blow for the Reds if they end up missing out on de Ligt due to Barca’s desire to get the deal done early.
