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Matthijs de Ligt, the last Golden Boy winner and Ajax captain at just 19 years old, is a target for FC Barcelona in the summer, although the competition is strong - just as it was to sign Frenkie de Jong, his team-mate.
What could make things trickier is Ajax raising the price of the defender increasingly. In recent days, Italian media say that after strong interest from Juventus, the Dutch club have put an 85-90m euro tag on the player’s head, at least 10 more than they had previously quoted clubs who asked about him before, including Barca.
De Ligt seems like he will cost 75m euros plus 11m in variables for now, the same as De Jong cost Barca.
However with Man City and PSG, along with others, interested in the defender, the price could keep going up. The player’s agent will play a part in deciding his future, with Barca president Josep Bartomeu saying he has a good relationship with Mino Raiola.
“With Raiola I have a very good relationship since the Ibrahimovic era. He’s a fun guy and very demanding. He looks after his players a lot. I have no problems with any agent. Will it be harder if the deal is with him? It’s not always a question of money. Barca attract a lot of players, many want to come to participate at this great club.”
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De Ligt may want to stick with his friend De Jong, who arrives in the summer. The player has admitted his admiration for Barca but not given any clues about his future.