Juventus fear Barça could make a last-minute move for De Ligt!
Ajax refuse to lower their asking price and are still yet to agree a fee with Juventus
In Italy, they are beginning to get nervous about the delays behind Matthijs de Ligt's transfer to Juventus. The original plan was to announce the defender's arrival this summer to avoid him joining up for preseason training with Ajax. However the two clubs are still yet to agree a fee and Juventus are worried that Barça could make a last-ditch attempt to sign the Dutch centre back. Ajax remain adamant that they want €75m for de Ligt and if Juve don't match that figure, it could see a deal fall through.
Ajax were already upset with Juventus because they negotiated with de Ligt before speaking with them. The defender has agreed on terms with Juve but won't move if they fail to offer a sufficient bid to his current club. The most recent offer was €50m upfront with €20m in variables which was turned down by Ajax, as the Dutch club already has two higher offers on the table from Barça and PSG.
As things stand, Ajax expect de Ligt to join up for preseason on Monday. Barça are monitoring the situation although they aren't expected to change their initial offer. The only way a move to the Camp Nou could happen is if Ajax and Juventus break off negotiations and the centre back is forced to revisit the offers from Barça and PSG.
It's worth remembering that de Ligt's representatives asked Barça at the last minute to up their offer close to something similar to what Juve were offering. Barça refused to change their offer after everything had previously been agreed. Now the option could become available again if Juventus fail to match Ajax's asking price.
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