Juventus are reportedly unwilling to consider an exit for defensive ace Matthijs de Ligt as it’s claimed Man Utd and Real Madrid are interested.
De Ligt, 20, rose to prominence as a figurehead of Ajax’s recent success, winning an Eredivisie title and the KNVB Cup in the 2018/19 campaign, while they enjoyed some memorable runs in Europe too.
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However, he sealed a switch to Turin last summer, and has since gone on to make 27 appearances for the reigning Serie A champions.
As with most players, settling in a new country, league and squad has its challenges which makes it difficult, and De Ligt hasn’t entirely convinced this year.
Nevertheless, he has shown his quality too and has his entire career ahead of him to get better and to mature with experience, and so it’s no surprise that Calciomercato note, via the paper edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport, that Juventus have no intention of letting him leave.
It’s noted that both Real Madrid and Man Utd are monitoring him, while the title would suggest that a swap deal offer to prise Paul Pogba away from Old Trafford could be successful.
In turn, it looks as though De Ligt is in Turin to stay with the Bianconeri, and both European giants said to hold an interest will have to look elsewhere for defensive reinforcements.
Given Los Blancos have conceded just 19 goals so far this season in La Liga, that gives them the best defensive record in the top flight.
Meanwhile, United have let in 30 goals in 29 outings, and that’s good enough to boast the fourth best defensive record in the Premier League.
With that in mind, it doesn’t appear as though either side are in desperate need to shore things up at the back, and so coupled with the report above suggesting that De Ligt is going nowhere any time soon, it looks as though his future is safe in Italy where he will no doubt be seen as a long-term replacement for ageing stalwarts such as Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci.