Matthijs de Ligt is a favourite name in the Catalan media right now.
The Ajax defender has been pinpointed as an option for Barcelona, as the club look to the future and worry whether Yerry Mina was really the right purchase.
Wednesday’s edition of Mundo Deportivo looks at De Ligt’s situation, and explains Barcelona will face heavy competition to sign the player. Bayern Munich are now keen, having had De Ligt recommended by Louis van Gaal. And that’s not all.
Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal are also credited with interest. Given Arsene Wenger’s struggles, the club doesn’t look an attractive option right now in comparison to the other names.
From the Manchester clubs, Old Trafford would be the likelier destination, mainly out of an assumption of need. Pep Guardiola signed Aymeric Laporte in the summer transfer window, and already had Vincent Kompany, John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi.
At Manchester United, Mourinho has Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo, an injection of quality wouldn’t be a bad thing.
The one thing which would question United interest is that De Ligt is 18 years of age, Mourinho would probably be happier if he were a decade older.
All three English clubs are said to have contacted the player’s agent Barry Hulshoff, but there’s no statement of when, there’s every chance Manchester City did so in January before getting Laporte.
Barcelona remain interested and are being fed information by good contacts at Ajax, explain Mundo Deportivo. It’s claimed Marc Overmars is keeping his old club on top of developments, which may sound odd but given some of the transfer behaviour from Ajax last summer it would be quite fitting.
