The day that Barcelona lost out on defender Matthijs de Ligt

The day that Barcelona lost out on defender Matthijs de Ligt

De Ligt celebra el gol contra la Juve
De Ligt celebra el gol contra la Juve | sport

Ajax's win over Juve in April marked a before and after in the Italian's interest

On April 16 of this year, something changed in Matthijs de Ligt's career. On that day, Ajax knocked Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus out of the Champions League and the Italians became determined to sign the centre-back. 

De Ligt's exhibition that night at the Juventus Stadium -- goal included -- impressed Juve to the point that at the moment they came up with a more aggressive strategy to sign him. 

A few weeks before, Barça felt they had almost closed the deal for the Dutch international. Especially after already landing Frenkie de Jong, his best friend in the Ajax dressing room. 

Barça had an agreement with Ajax for 75 million euros and the sensations with the player were good. There was a five-year contract on the table. De Ligt's main concern was the competition at Camp Nou. 

With the presence of Pique, Lenglet and Umtiti he knew that, from the off, it would be difficult to start every game. But at Barça, they made him see it was a strategic signing. Sooner than later, he would be a fixed part of the team. And he was the future. 

Something similar happened with De Jong, who didn't choose to sign for Barça until a delegation led by Josep Maria Bartomeu went to Amsterdam to explain their plans first hand. The player admitted as much at his presentation: without that trip, he would probably have ended up at PSG. 

DE LIGT'S REASONS 

For De Ligt, playing regularly was a priority. But what ended up tipping the balance was Juve's financial offer. The Italians ended up doubling their initial proposal, above all because of PSG's late intervention. 

Juve, in addition, gave in to one of agent Mino Raiola's conditions: a release clause worth 150 million euros which kicks in in 2022. It's a high amount, but it's an amount which a club like Barça could afford if they really wanted to. 

The wages on offer were more at Juve than at Barça. The Catalans didn't want to miss out on De Jong, that was the main aim as the need for his profile was much greater. And because he's a player with unique conditions made to play for Barça.  

De Ligt was seen more as a market opportunity and the club never moved close to Juve's offer. The Dutch centre-back joins an ambitious project in Turin: a Juve side that want to win their first Champions League since 1995-96.