Matthijs De Ligt ‘sends message’ he wants shock Juventus transfer exit with Dutch defender wanting Barcelona move

MATTHIJS DE LIGT is angling for a move to Barcelona after growing discontent with life at Juventus, according to reports.

The Dutch central defender, 21, had endured two difficult seasons in Turin following his high-profile move from Ajax in 2019.

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Juventus forked out a whopping £67.5million on the youngster, beating competition from Barca for his signature.

During the same summer, De Ligt’s former Ajax team-mate and close friend Frenkie De Jong made the switch to the Nou Camp.

According to Catalunya Radio, the pair have been in close contact with De Ligt pushing for a reunion at Barca.

The report adds how Barcelona would be interested in concluding a deal, but know financial restrictions will make it tough.

De Ligt still has three years left on his deal at Juventus so they are in no rush to cash in.

Barcelona are also in financial turmoil of their own with the coronavirus pandemic causing their debts to spiral to a whopping £1billion.

Boss Ronald Koeman is likely to have his hands tied in the market this summer and will undoutedbly be forced to offload players before splashing the cash.

But Barca may take confidence knowing they have a good relationship with the Italian giants.

Last year, the two clubs came to an agreement that saw Miralem Pjanic head to Barca with Arthur Melo heading in the opposite direction and another swap deal may not be off the cards.

Barcelona have already bolstered their defence this summer with the free signing of Manchester City’s Eric Garcia.

Striker Sergio Aguero looks braced to join on a two-year deal with Memphis Depay also braced to join with his contract at Lyon expiring.

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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk