Barcelona now just need to sign De Ligt

The defender is admired at the Camp Nou

Posted Saturday, January 26, 2019 by Marca.com

Barcelona made a huge statement of intent with the announcement of Frenkie de Jong from Ajax, and there is another player from the Dutch club that the Catalans will now fancy their chances in signing.

De Jong was long-admired by the Barcelona board and a move to the Camp Nou always looked on the cards, until the interest of Paris Saint-Germain.

The French club's seemingly limitless budget emerged as a major threat to the deal, but the footballing project proved vital in the 21-year-old's decision and ended up joining Ernesto Valverde's side.

As a result of beating PSG to one of Europe's top prospects, Barcelona will be confident in landing De Jong's Ajax teammate, Matthijs de Ligt.

The centre-back has certainly not been forgotten by the board, who believe the 19-year-old could become a staple in their defence for years to come.

The current leaders of LaLiga Santander will be buoyed by the fact that the two Dutchmen have previously spoken of their wish to continue their careers together, and De Ligt himself recently stated that he is open to a move.

"Any player would like to play for Barcelona at some point in their career," De Ligt said.

"Frenkie has already decided his future and it's great that he can go to Barcelona, he deserves it.

We'll see where I end up," he stated.

Like De Jong, he will not come on the cheap but the player's comments will be music to the ears of Josep Maria Bartomeu.