De Ligt admits his next move is still to be decided
Highly-rated Dutch defender Matthijs De Ligt says he does not know where his future lies amid reported interest from Manchester United.
The 19-year-old, a star performer in Ajax’s run to the semi-finals of this season’s Champions League, has been linked with Barcelona, who have already signed midfielder Frenkie De Jong from the Amsterdam club.
United are reported to be challenging Barca for De Ligt’s signature, but the player himself gave very little away on Sunday.
“Well, the Premier League is a big competition, Spain also,” he told ESPN FC.
“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.”
De Ligt is coveted the world over but the powers that be at United have long expected Barcelona to sign the defender, Press Association Sport understands.
De Ligt, who started against United in the Europa League final two years ago, has long been tracked by the Old Trafford giants, but the feeling around the club is he will be heading to the Nou Camp.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
United are understood to be keen to sign a centre-back this summer, while the likes of Swansea’s Daniel James and Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff are on their radar.
FourFourTwo was launched in 1994 on the back of a World Cup that England hadn’t even qualified for. It was an act of madness… but it somehow worked out. Our mission is to offer our intelligent, international audience access to the game’s biggest names, insightful analysis... and a bit of a giggle. We unashamedly love this game and we hope that our coverage reflects that.