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Ajax Amsterdam's young and sensational squad has just taken over Europe after their 4-1 thumping of Real Madrid, to eliminate the latter from the Champions League in the Round of 16.
One of the best players for Ajax on the pitch on that very night was 19-year-old captain, Matthijs de Ligt. The Dutch defender has impressed whole of Europe over the course of the past one year, and he already has big clubs like FC Barcelona and Real Madrid monitoring a potential transfer for him.
Rumours have it that FC Barcelona are inching closer to signing the centre back, and there is no reason why the teenager won't be an absolute hit for the Catalan club. Today, we take a look at the top 4 reasons why Barca should actually hurry upon and sign the defender immediately from the Dutch club! Enjoy the ride!
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#4 Perfect replacement for the ageing Gerard Pique and injury prone Samuel Umtiti
Spanish defender and World Cup winner Gerard Pique has been at the club now for more than a decade, after graduating from the Barca youth academy, La Masia. Over the past few years, the centre-back has struggled to perform consistently for the Catalan giants, especially after the retirement of his long time captain Carles Puyol.
To counter Barcelona's defensive struggles, Samuel Umtiti was signed 3 years ago, and he has been a good signing for the club, except for the fact that the Frenchman has been injury prone for quite sometime now.
Matthijs de Ligt might just be the solution for both these problems of ageing Gerard Pique and an injury prone Umtiti, as the Dutch centre back shows great signs of development, at the tender age of just 19.
Though Barcelona haven't been very bad at their defence this season, but at times, during a few games, the Catalans have looked vulnerable in the back four, having to cope with the ever rising standards of the La Liga. De Ligt might just be the perfect answer to all of these Barcelona long term issues.
#3 The Dutch connection with new signing Frenkie de Jong
Another Ajax sensation Frenkie de Jong has already been signed up by Barcelona for the next season onwards, and both De Ligt and De Jong share a very good rapport on field for Ajax currently.
By signing up De Ligt too, Barcelona can ensure that the team chemistry within the squad increases with the Ajax duo playing together at the Camp Nou. Both the players being from the same home nation also increases the chances of better performances, as they both would share the same dressing room for their International fixtures in the future.
Though Barcelona will have to reach deep into their pockets to land De Ligt from Ajax, as they have already emptied their pockets to sign De Jong, but the Spanish giants can benefit from the proceeds if they are to win the Champions League this season.
It will be a treat to the eyes to watch De Jong and De Ligt playing together in the Barca colours.
#2 A potential future captain in the long term
There is no doubt that Matthijs De Ligt has impressed the whole of Europe by not only his defending, but also his leadership skills at the immature age of 19 in the Ajax colours, his recent exploit being a terrific performance against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
After Carles Puyol's departure, the Barcelona captain armband has always gone on to the next best alternatives in the team, or has been given to players according to their seniority. But, there has been no proper authoritative leader on paper within the Barca ranks.
If De Ligt can produce such amazing performances as the captain of Ajax at the age of 19, he is definitely on the verge of being a legendary captain for his club by a more mature age of 25-27. Signing De Ligt might just give Barcelona a clear path for their next Carles Puyol in the making.
#1 A long term prospect
As previously mentioned, Matthijs de Ligt is just 19 years old, and if he were to consistently grow this efficiently in his career, he might just become one of the world's top five defenders in the coming 2-3 years.
Not only the next 2-3 years, if Barca are to swoop up the Dutch teenage sensation and manage to hold on with the player for long, he might just have around 15-17 years more at the Camp Nou, which is a great amount of time. This will leave the Barca defence in safe hands for a long time.
Over the last few years, the average age of the Barcelona squad has been on a rise with legends like Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba getting older with both experience and age. It is high time now that Barcelona focuses on signing more young players who could break into the first team within a few months of their signing.
With Frenkie de Jong, Barca have already taken the first step, the next step should definitely be the signing of Matthijs De Ligt.
