Mino Raiola takes Matthijs de Ligt towards Real Madrid amid waning Barcelona interest

When Matthijs de Ligt made waves at AFC Ajax during the 2018/19 campaign, almost every elite club across Europe lined up to sign him. But the Dutchman opted to move to Juventus, a move that has not exactly borne the best results for him.

During his time in Turin, de Ligt has had to share game-time with the veteran duo of Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, while the team has also regressed quite a fair bit since the start of the last season.

Unhappy with his situation at the Allianz Stadium, the Netherlands international is believed to have been instructed to have informed his agent, Mino Raiola, to find him a new club in the summer.

And, according to El Nacional, Barcelona had emerged as one of the early favourites to secure the 22-year-old’s signing next year. The Catalans have admired de Ligt since his Ajax days and wanted to sign him before his move to Juventus.

Furthermore, the defender is believed to be a boyhood fan while Mino Raiola’s relationship with club president Joan Laporta also came as an added advantage.

However, the report claims that the scenario has significantly changed since the appointment of Xavi Hernandez as the manager. It is said that the Barcelona boss would prefer signing Jules Kounde over de Ligt, which has now prompted Raiola to take his client towards Real Madrid.

Barca’s arch-rivals have been scouring the market for a new centre-half following the summer departures of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane and de Ligt is a player who is held in high regards at the Spanish capital outfit.

The Dutchman, for his part, would be open to a move to the Santiago Bernabeu in spite of his admiration of Barcelona. However, he will likely have other options as well, with there being interest from Premier League clubs Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.

The only club that de Ligt does not wish to join is PSG, as per the report. The 22-year-old sees a move to Ligue 1 as a stepdown from Serie A. With Barcelona’s interest in him waning, their rivals could end up gaining a lot come summer.