Transfer Centre

Report: Barcelona lose ground in Matthijs de Ligt race

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 17 May 2019

Report: Barca lose ground in De Ligt race

Barcelona reportedly fear a rival club hijacking their move for Matthijs de Ligt as the Ajax skipper is yet to commit to the Spanish champions amid widespread interest.

Barcelona are no closer to signing Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt than they were a month ago, according to a report.

De Ligt is a rumoured target for a number of European football's biggest clubs, including the likes of Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Manchester United and Barca.

The Spanish champions are widely considered to be the leading candidates to sign the 19-year-old, but Mundo Deportivo suggests that the transfer no longer looks a near-certainty, as it did just a few weeks ago.

Instead, De Ligt is now said to be seriously considering all the other options on the table and is in no rush to make a decision over his next career move.

Barca officials, led by general manager Eric Abidal, are rumoured to have met with the centre-back's representatives in Amsterdam last week, but the Catalan giants now fear a rival club hijacking the deal.

De Ligt has started 48 matches for Ajax in all competitions this season.