Barcelona will reportedly not pursue a move for Chelsea and Manchester United target Matthijs de Ligt, valued at €100 million by Juventus.
According to a report by Spanish publication SPORT, Matthijs de Ligt no longer features on the radar of Barcelona heading into the summer transfer window, with the Blaugrana focusing on Jules Kounde and Kalidou Koulibaly. The Dutch defender, valued at €100 million by Juventus, is a target for Premier League heavyweights Chelsea and Manchester United.
Matthijs de Ligt remains one of the most highly-rated defenders in Europe despite making slow progress in the last three years at Juventus. The Bianconeri beat several other European bigwigs to sign the 22-year-old in July 2019, but their struggles in the last couple of seasons have hampered the young centre-back.
The Dutch international has turned out 117 times for Juventus while chipping in with eight goals and three assists. But de Ligt might have played his last game for the Serie A giants heading into the summer transfer window as he reportedly wants to embark on a new adventure. Such a situation has captured the attention of Chelsea and Manchester United, with Barcelona also in the equation for some time.
But Barcelona will not launch the offensive for de Ligt, with Kalidou Koulibaly and Jules Kounde their priority targets. The Blaugrana will look to sign a centre-back despite the impending arrival of Andreas Christensen, with Gerard Pique closing in on his last days as a professional footballer. And de Ligt might have been the ideal candidate to succeed Pique had Barcelona not closed to door on signing him.
As for Chelsea, the Blues are the front-runners to sign de Ligt this summer after cooling their interest in Barcelona target Kounde. The Dutch international is indeed the priority target for Chelsea, with the player himself keen on moving to Stamford Bridge. After losing Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid, and with Andreas Christensen set to join Barcelona, de Ligt will be a solid addition at the west London club.
Meanwhile, Erik ten Hag wants Manchester United to sign de Ligt, with Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof performing poorly this past season. But signing a centre-back is currently low down Manchester United’s priority list, with the Red Devils looking to bring in Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona as the first order of business this summer.
Chelsea and Manchester United can likely afford de Ligt’s €100 million price tag. But Barcelona will not launch the offensive for the 22-year-old, leaving the two Premier League heavyweights with a clear run at the young centre-back.