{"id":1080385,"date":"2019-05-26T19:00:56","date_gmt":"2019-05-26T18:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1080385"},"modified":"2019-05-26T19:11:47","modified_gmt":"2019-05-26T18:11:47","slug":"matthijs-de-ligt-next-club-transfer-ajax-barcelona-liverpool-juventus","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/matthijs-de-ligt-next-club-transfer-ajax-barcelona-liverpool-juventus\/","title":{"rendered":"Matthijs de Ligt: The main contenders to sign Ajax’s ‘Golden Boy’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ajax’s brilliant young centre-back Matthijs de Ligt seems certain to leave the Amsterdam Arena this summer.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The defender, who won the coveted Golden Boy award for 2018 and is the youngest player ever to start a European final, has been the source of much discussion and debate as to his next destination.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/audioboom.com\/posts\/7266091-the-season-defining-story-from-each-of-europe-s-top-five-leagues<\/p>\n

The player himself has been discussing his immediate future with reporters of late<\/a>, admitting that the Premier League and La Liga are both leagues that interest him.<\/p>\n

He said:\u00a0\u201cWhere do I see myself? Well, the Premier League is a big competition, Spain also, but you have other competitions, it’s not (just) about those two. I still don’t know anything about where my future is, so I see how it goes.\u201d<\/p>\n

His form in the Champions League and Nations League as Ajax and the Netherlands knocked out Real Madrid, Juventus and Germany (respectively) have only increased the sensation that he will leave.<\/p>\n

Even Ajax’s top brass, led by sporting director Marc Overmars, have acknowledged that the defender’s future lies away from the Netherlands. However, they have always insisted that he will leave only when they want and only to the right club.<\/p>\n

But who is that right club? Almost every single elite side across Europe’s top five leagues could do with a talent like De Ligt, and most of them have been linked with signing him. So which of them would be best for De Ligt? Where should he go? Read on and find out!<\/p>\n

Dream: Barcelona<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Ajax and Barcelona are The Clubs of Cruyff. They are the sides most shaped by the visionary’s ideas and philosophy. This has always made it easy for players to feature for both sides. Literally half of Ajax’s 1995 European Cup final winning squad went on to play for the Blaugrana. That’s 8 players! And whilst Frank Rijkaard never played there, he did manage them to win a Champions League.<\/p>\n

Ajax’s current sporting director, Marc Overmars, was one of those eight and only injury prevented him from being a Bar\u00e7a legend. De Ligt’s compatriot club-mate Frenkie de Jong will be the latest player to move to Catalunya from Amsterdam, so De Ligt joining the Blaugrana makes all the sense in the world on a footballing level. He would fit right into Bar\u00e7a’s passing and possession-based philosophy.<\/p>\n

Dream: Juventus<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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When you think of defending, there aren’t many sides you think of before Juventus. Giorgio Chiellini has been a rock-solid centre-back for so long that his debut came when De Ligt was just six years old. But Chiellini is coming to the end of his era on top, and Juventus will need someone to pick up his mantle. Someone whose physical and technical abilities are matched by an equally steely mental resolve, and who better than the kid who is Ajax captain despite being a teenager? De Ligt would be the new anchor around which Juventus could build their defence.<\/p>\n

Who do Squawka Suggest De Ligt join?<\/strong>
\nBarcelona<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Whilst Juventus represents an attractive opportunity in terms of the ability to hoover up league titles like crumbs on the living room floor, there isn’t that romantic attachment there. It’s a phenomenally attractive move, even if it’s unlikely that Juve have the cash to splash around given that they need to sign an elite goalkeeper as well, but it’s not Barcelona.<\/p>\n

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Not only does De Ligt have that coveted “Bar\u00e7a DNA,” but thanks to his Ajax roots but he’d be one of the many magnificent players to feature for both Cruyffist clubs. He’d have a great chance to win trophies every season playing an open and elegant style of play he already understands. De Ligt would also get to play alongside the likes of Gerard Piqu\u00e9 and Samuel Umtiti, learning from them.<\/p>\n

Moreover, he’d have little trouble settling into the club with compatriots Jasper Cillessen and Frenkie de Jong already in Catalunya. It’s a total dream move because Barcelona have already committed \u00a375m to Frenkie de Jong and still need to sign a striker as well. But for now it does seem like it might actually be a dream come true?<\/p>\n