Barcelona will reportedly be able to sign 22-year-old Dutch international Matthijs de Ligt for €75 million due to a special clause in his Juventus contract.
According to a report by Spanish publication SPORT, Matthijs de Ligt’s contract with Juventus has a special clause pertaining to Barcelona. The Blaugrana will only need to pay €75 million to secure the services of the 22-year-old Dutch international in next summer’s transfer window.
Matthijs de Ligt joined Juventus from Ajax in July 2019, with the Bianconeri beating several big-name clubs to land the prodigious young defender. However, the youngster is yet to establish himself as a resounding first-choice centre-back for the Serie A giants and has shared game-time with Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci for the better part of the last two and a half years.
In addition, de Ligt has not made significant progress in his career, although he is still regarded as one of the best young defenders in Europe. To date, the 22-year-old has made 95 appearances for Juventus, chipping in with six goals and two assists in the process. However, de Ligt is eager to leave Juventus next summer, with the situation capturing the attention of Barcelona.
The Dutch international was on the Blaugrana‘s radar before his move to Juventus in 2019. Barcelona’s interest in de Ligt has not waned since then, with the eagerness to sign him justified by the poor performances of Eric Garcia since arriving from Manchester City in the summer.
With Gerard Pique in the twilight of his illustrious career and Samuel Umtiti deemed surplus to requirements, it behoves Barcelona to bring in a long-term central defensive solution. To that end, de Ligt is a viable target for Barcelona. And the Blaugrana’s resolve to sign the 22-year-old will have been reinforced by Mino Raiola’s recent comments pointing towards his desire to leave Juventus.
The Catalan giants have been handed further boost in the race to sign de Ligt next summer. That is because a special clause in his Juventus contract entails the Bianconeri to sell him for €75 million to Barcelona if a bid is submitted next summer.
The €75 million clause is significantly lower than the €140 million release clause that other clubs will need to trigger to sign him. However, with Barcelona’s financial woes showing no signs of slowing down, paying €75 million for the Dutch international is not a foregone conclusion either. It remains to be seen if Barcelona can land de Ligt next summer.
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