- 20 hours ago
Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt comments on reported interest from Barcelona
Martin Macdonald
- 31 May 2021 08:42 BST
- 5 min read
Matthijs de Ligt insists he has had no contact with Barcelona about a potential move away from Juventus this summer and that he remains happy in Turin.
After starring for Ajax as a youngster and then helping them to the Eredivisie title in 2019 and the semi-final of the Champions League, De Ligt become one of the hottest properties in European football.
READ MORE: What Allegri’s return means for Ronaldo’s future at Juventus
The likes of Barcelona, Manchester United and Real Madrid were all reportedly interested in signing him, but it would be Juventus who would win the race in the summer of 2019 after paying Ajax €75 million for his services.
De Ligt would win Serie A in his first season with Juve, but things have turned sour for the Bianconeri in 2020/21 as they have surrendered the Scudetto for the first time in a decade and only managed to qualify for the Champions League on the final day.
There had been suggestions that De Ligt was not happy with life in Italy, but he has quickly played down those rumours.
“I am very happy at Juventus, I am like a fish in water”, he told ESPN about interest in him, specifically from Barcelona.
“Although the performance of the team was not the best this season, I felt good on the pitch and I also feel valued.”
Could De Ligt move anyway?
De Ligt does concede that a transfer could be taken out of his hands if Juventus decide to accept any bids or actively try and move him on, but the Dutchman doesn’t expect this to happen due to the current financial climate in football caused by the pandemic.
“If Juventus will want to transfer me? There are many clubs with financial problems, but you should ask this question when club do that,” the 21-year-old continued.
“I do not know anything about a move and there is nothing to comment on. No one has contacted me.”
After a dismal campaign both domestically and in Europe, as Juventus were eliminated from the Champions League at the last-16 stage by Porto, head coach Andrea Pirlo was sacked last week and replaced by former boss Massimilano Allegri.
