Highly rated defender and highly-sought after Ajax starlet Matthijs de Ligt has refused to rule out a summer move to Juventus. The Dutch international, has been heavily linked with Barcelona following the transfer of current tram-mate Frenkie De Jong.
However, his recent comments suggest he cannot wait to link up with Cristiano Ronaldo in Turin. The Dutch Captain who is still a teenager has claimed that his future is in the hands of superstar football agent, Mino Raiola who is in charge of his affairs and interest as the list of interested clubs continues to grow.
The 19-year-old has been the subject of intense transfer speculation across the season, with a plethora of sides – including Manchester United, Manchester City, Barcelona and Bayern Munich – all seemingly interested in the centre-back’s services.
De Ligt is still refusing to comment on his potential transfer and he is unwilling to fuel speculations. However, he admits that he is a big fan of fellow defenders Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci and has not ruled out the possibility of lining up next to the pair in the future.
“A move to Juventus could happen, but there are others who are also interested,” the Netherlands international told Tuttosport. We’ll see at the right time. At the moment I’m fully focused on Ajax and my agent Raiola is taking care of the rest. Also, Frenkie de Jong hasn’t spoken to me about a move to Barcelona.”
“I really admire Chiellini, he’s a very strong centre-back and one of the best ever. I also appreciate Bonucci. They are two of the best centre-backs in Europe and two examples to follow for a young player like me.”
Despite his young age, De Ligt has been compared to some of football’s most respected centre-halves of days past, but he admits he has a long way to go before being mentioned in the same sentence as the game’s all-time greats.
“Being compared to Alessandro Nesta and Jaap Stam makes me happy because they were two top centre-backs, but I still have a lot to do to reach their level. Nesta was a fabulous defender; I also watch videos of Paolo Maldini and Franco Baresi. The Italian school of defenders has always been the most important.”
Ajax’s surprising inclusion in the Champions League quarter finals came at the expense of Real Madrid, who have struggled for form and consistency since Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure for Juventus.
And while signing the Portuguese superstar is a clear statement of intent from the Bianconeri, De Ligt is relishing the chance to pit his wits against one of the best in the game.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best in the world and with him Juventus are stronger,” he said. “However, it will be a fascinating challenge to play against him. Juventus are a great team but we believe we can go through because we are younger and there’s less pressure on us. Also, we have our own CR7: Dusan Tadic!”Juventus and Ronaldo will face De Ligt’s Ajax Amsterdam on the 10th of April in Amsterdam as both teams will look to secure a place in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League this season. De Ligt will also take to the pitch and hope to outshine Gergio Chiellini and Bonucci.