Barcelona exit race to sign De Ligt
FT Desk
- 28 Jun 2022 14:03 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona have ended their pursuit of Juventus and Netherlands defender Matthijs de Ligt.
The 22-year-old has been a target at Camp Nou ever since he first broke through the ranks playing for Ajax as a teenager.
This summer the Catalans were apparently set to make another effort to sign De Ligt, having already bolstered their defence with the arrival of Andreas Christensen from Chelsea.
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Now, though, it is the Blues that could benefit from Barca's withdrawal by launching their own bid for the Juve star, while De Ligt's former Ajax coach Erik ten Hag and Manchester United are also reportedly interested in his services.
Ultimately, Juventus' high valuation of their defender led to the change of heart.
The Serie A giants are asking for €100 million to consider a sale, though they could be willing to compromise on the fee.
Having paid €75m for De Ligt as recently as the summer of 2019 Juve are keen to see a profit on their outlay after three rather underwhelming seasons in Turin.
De Ligt's wages, which come to more than €10m a year, also proved an insurmountable obstacle for Xavi's team, and a Premier League move now looks most likely.
Reunion with Ten Hag on the cards?
De Ligt was a pivotal member of the Ajax side which reached the Champions League semi-finals under Ten Hag back in 2018-19, and a reunion with his old boss at United would certainly be a tempting prospect.
Speaking earlier in June, the defender made no secret of his admiration for the new Red Devil, who has reportedly turned his eye towards several former charges in the Netherlands.
"He is someone who loves his job and he loves to work. He wants to do everything to make his team play better," De Ligt said.
"He's really into the details. This makes him a really good trainer who improves players.
"He has a lot of qualities to succeed and we will have to see how he goes."
