Barcelona will reportedly need to fend off competition from Paris Saint-Germain to sign Matthijs de Ligt, valued at €125 million by Serie A giants Juventus.
According to a report by Italian outlet Calciomercato, Barcelona will have Paris Saint-Germain as their main rivals in the race to sign Matthijs de Ligt in next summer’s transfer window. Suitors will need to trigger the €125 million release clause in the Dutchman’s Juventus contract to prise him away from the Serie A club.
Matthijs de Ligt joined Juventus from Ajax in July 2019 and has since seen the hype around him reduce to a great extent. While the 22-year-old remains one of the most promising young defenders in Serie A and Europe, his progress at the Allianz Stadium has been gradual as he has had to share game-time with Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci.
To date, the Dutch international has turned out 95 times for Juventus, chipping in with six goals and two assists in the process. However, de Ligt’s time at the Serie A club could be drawing to a close, as he is keen on seeking a new adventure to get his career back on track. Such a situation has alerted Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.
The interest from Barcelona is understandable, considering Eric Garcia has flattered to deceive since joining the club on a free transfer. With Gerard Pique in the twilight of his storied career and Samuel Umtiti deemed surplus to requirements, it behoves Barcelona to sign a top-class centre-back to address their defensive woes.
To that end, de Ligt is a viable target for Barcelona, who have been closely monitoring his progress since his days at Ajax. However, the Catalan giants face stiff competition from PSG in the race to sign the 22-year-old defender.
On face level, PSG’s interest in de Ligt might be surprising, considering Mauricio Pochettino has three world-class centre-backs in Sergio Ramos, Marquinhos and Presnel Kimpembe at his disposal. However, Kimpembe has recently been heavily linked with Chelsea, whereas fitness issues have beset Ramos since joining PSG from Real Madrid.
As a result, de Ligt is an option worth considering for PSG, as he could stitch together a long-term central defensive partnership with Marquinhos. However, signing the Dutch international won’t be easy, as he has a €125 million release clause in his Juventus contract. And spending such a sum could be a tall order for a club like Barcelona.
On the other hand, PSG might be able to afford to pay €125 million to sign de Ligt as they are among a select few clubs that have not been adversely affected by the coronavirus outbreak. For now, what remains clear is that de Ligt is keen on leaving Juventus next summer. It remains to be seen if Barcelona can pay €125 million to compete with PSG in the race to sign the youngster.
