Matthijs de Ligt in actions for Juventus (Getty Images)
According to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Daily Mail), La Liga giants Barcelona have made a move for Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt.
The Dutch centre-back recently arrived at the Allianz Stadium last summer after leading former club Ajax to Eredivisie title and a Champions League semi-final appearance.
The 20-year-old youngster, who was formerly the Dutch giants’ captain, has not had the start to life in Italy that he would have hoped for. Having managed just 6 clean sheets and 20 league appearances, De Ligt, has been in and out of form since arriving at Italy.
However, the Dutchman, who cost Juventus £67.8million seemed to have regained his form before and helped stabilise a Juventus defence before coronavirus stopped play.
Meanwhile, Barcelona under new boss Quique Setien are on top of the La Liga table but have conceded 31 goals from 27 league games. Their arch-rivals and fellow La Liga side Real Madrid, meanwhile, have a better record, conceding just 19 goals.
Also, with Madrid hot on the trail, with just two points separating them, Barcelona are in the hunt for new faces in their defence and De Ligt has emerged as a potential target.
Barcelona currently have three centre-backs in their side in veteran Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti. Despite still being their first-choice man, Pique is not the player that he once was. He turned 33 last February and will not be any young.
Lenglet, meanwhile, has been preferred over his fellow countrymate in the left centre-back role, with the latter recently impressing new boss Setien with his solid displays at the back.
However, Umtiti, who arrived at Barcelona in 2016, has still failed to establish himself as a regular, vastly due to injuries that have kept him mostly on the sidelines.
Umtiti’s inconsistency and fitness related issues seem to have frustrated Barcelona, who are now willing to listen to offers for the French defender. Also, with the 26-year-old World Cup winner attracting interest from other clubs, Barcelona’s decision to search for young De Ligt seems wise.
Having proved his potential as a reliable centre-back to being deployed as Ajax’s captain at such a young age, there is no questioning De Ligt’s talent. In De Ligt, Barcelona can land a top established star, who can be a good future investment.
A highly-rated centre-back, De Ligt will be an excellent fit at Camp Nou, having led former side Ajax to glories in the past. Moreover, Barcelona just have three defenders in their side and De Ligt’s arrival will offer Setien more options in the defence.
