Man Utd, Liverpool target De Ligt finally picks his next club

Manchester United and Liverpool target Matthijs de Ligt has reportedly decided to join Juventus from Ajax this summer.

The Holland international is one of European football’s hottest properties and has been linked with a number of top clubs this summer, including the Premier Leag duo, Barcelona, PSG and Juve.

But according to De Telegraaf, the Serie A giants have stated that they expect the 19-year-old to join them this summer.

Barca were believed to be in pole position for De Ligt, having already signed his Ajax teammate Frenkie de Jong in a £65million deal, but their chances were said to have been ruined by his agent Mino Raiola demanding a hefty fee that the Catalan side were not willing to pay.

The report goes on to add that Juve are confident of signing the in-demand defender to a five-year contract which will pay him between €15m (£13.4m) and €20m (£17.8m) per season.

They are also are reportedly willing to pay in excess of €70m (£62m) to secure a deal for the Ajax skipper.

It had been thought that De Ligt was going to join PSG, with the player and his girlfriend and her mother having reportedly been house hunting in Paris.

But De Telegraaf say the situation has changed and while a potential move to Ligue 1 is not completely out of the question, Juve are now the hot favourites for his next destination.

As for United and Liverpool, the chances of the latter signing De Ligt always looked slim – as Jurgen Klopp wants to strengthen his squad in other areas.

United, however, will now have to switch their focus to other targets – with Leicester’s Harry Maguire, who is said to be close to joining Manchester City, and West Ham’s Isa Diop both on their radar.

 

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