Amid ongoing speculation over his future, even reports in Spain are now suggesting that Barcelona may well miss out on Matthijs de Ligt to Paris Saint-Germain.
The 19-year-old is coming off the back of a hugely impressive campaign in which he led Ajax to a domestic double as well as the Champions League semi-finals.
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Having firmly established himself as a key figure for both club and country, he has shown that he has the quality to be one of the top centre-halves in Europe for many years to come.
However, it seems as though he won’t stay with Ajax for much longer, with ESPN noting that PSG are moving forward with talks to sign him in a deal that could potentially cost them in excess of €75m.
His agent, Mino Raiola, is said to have been in the French capital on Wednesday to discuss the deal, as it’s suggested that the Ligue 1 champions will be able to offer an attractive proposal on personal terms to try and sway the Dutch international towards them.
It will surely come as a concern for Barcelona fans now though that Mundo Deportivo have even adopted a defeatist tone, suggesting that while Frenkie de Jong and Antoine Griezmann are prepared to face the fierce competition for places at the Nou Camp, De Ligt perhaps isn’t.
As noted by BBC Sport, De Jong has already confirmed his €75m+ move to Barcelona, while the Mirror report that Griezmann is expected to join him at the reigning La Liga champions.
However, Mundo Deportivo suggest that fighting for a place in the starting line up at Barcelona has seemingly put De Ligt off with the likes of Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti for company, while the financial aspect of the PSG offer could be a major factor too.
Time will tell what the Dutchman decides to do, but reports over the last 24 hours would suggest that he’s leaning towards a move to France rather than following De Jong to Barcelona.
