In Netherlands’ 2-0 victory over France in the UEFA Nations League, Ajax centre-back Matthijs de Ligt impressed with his display after he partnered alongside Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk in the heart of the back four.
The front page of Sport has a story with a lead saying ‘De Ligt OK’ and Barcelona have identified his signing a ‘priority’ for next season after making a collective decision.
There’s ‘White smoke’ at Camp Nou for a ‘big investment’ in securing the services of the talented defender after studying pros and cons of the transfer. He fits the profile the Spanish champions are looking at to strengthen their right centre-back position.
The Catalan newspaper further mentions the potential arrival of De Ligt will bring an end to Thomas Vermaelen’s time at the club as the latter will be allowed to leave next summer.
It’s claimed the Amsterdam-based club’s star is aware of the Blaugrana’s intentions firsthand, but the Eredivisie outfit will not sanction his transfer for anything less than €70m as they will demand a fee anywhere between €70-€80m for the sale.
Ernesto Valverde has already given a green signal for the Dutchman’s signing and now it is between the two clubs to agree a deal and also with his representative, Mino Raiola.
Barca will have to convince the super-agent because he will have a huge role in deciding where his client will play next season.
