Transfer News: Barcelona eye €15 million deal to sign Matthijs de Ligt

Barcelona will reportedly look to sign Ajax star Matthijs de Ligt in a €15 million deal to replace Yerry Mina, who looks to be on his way to the Premier League.

If the report from Spanish publication Don Balon is to be believed, Barcelona already have a player in mind to replace Yerry Mina within the squad. Should the Colombian leave for the Premier League, the Catalan giants will move to land Ajax prodigy Matthijs de Ligt in a €15 million deal.

The transfer saga surrounding Yerry Mina has been rather confusing. The only thing that is certain is that the Colombian is set to leave Barcelona and move to the Premier League. Everton and Manchester United both seem to be pursuing the World Cup star, with no clear headway as to which club will be able to sign the defender.

Still, Yerry Mina’s departure will leave a gaping hole at Barcelona as far as depth in central defence is concerned. The La Liga champions though, have a player in mind to replace the outbound Colombian. The report iterates that the club will attempt to land Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt.

Matthijs de Ligt is not a prodigy anymore. He has risen above the name tag, constantly proving himself for Ajax in the domestic competitions and in Europe. At 18, the defender has a European final under his belt and has also been named the Eredivisie Young Player of the Year for the 2017-18 season.

With Yerry Mina set to leave, that will leave Ernesto Valverde with the likes of Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti, Clement Lenglet, Marlon Santos and Thomas Vermaelen at his disposal. Of these, Gerard Pique looks a shadow of his best self while Thomas Vermaelen has always been nothing more than a passenger within the squad, due to a long list of injuries.

The need to add to the options is apparent. De Ligt though, is not a new name to Barcelona fans. The Catalan giants were linked with a move for the Dutchman in January as well. Many even speculated that de Ligt will be the one to join Barcelona in the summer, before the club chose to sign Clement Lenglet.

Now though, a spot has opened up. And if the reported fee of €15 million is true, this will be nothing short of a coup, even for a club like Barcelona. De Ligt is destined to be a superstar and has already shown signs that he is ready for a step up the ladder.

There are doubts though, as to why Ajax would be willing to part ways with a prodigious talent like de Ligt for a fee as meagre as €15 million. Even if they would, that would only spring the Premier League clubs in action, especially the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester City, who were credited with interest in the 18-year-old earlier.

De Ligt to Barcelona does not sound out of order. But, the fee is what shifts this rumour slightly towards the ‘not believable’ mark. We can see the transfer happening. But, in order to do so, Barcelona will have to stump up a lot more than the mentioned €15 million.