Reports: Atletico Madrid to rival Barcelona for €80m rated star defender

What's the rumor?

Atletico Madrid is reportedly going head to head with Barcelona for the signing of highly-rated Ajax Amsterdam defender Matthijs De Ligt this summer.

In case you didn't know..

Diego Godin is set to leave the Spanish club for Inter Milan in the coming window and Bayern Munich is looking to sign their talented young defender Lucas Hernandez.

Speculation has been going on for some time that Bayern is likely to trigger the Frenchmen's €80m release clause. Bayern didn't trigger the release clause in the January transfer window but is expected to do finally match the release clause in the summer.

The heart of the matter

If Lucas Hernandez leaves Atletico Madrid, all the funds are expected to spend on trying to get the 19-year-old Dutchman.

Barcelona is believed to the frontrunners for the signature of De Ligt but Ajax director of football Overmars recently said that he is not sure about the young defender's final destination.

"I think so. For me, de Ligt can play easily [in] any of the six best teams in the world right now," he told Diario AS.

"He has the power, the mentality, the heart. If I worked at another club, I would like to sign him immediately.

"We do not need to sell him, we do not need the money, but I know he will go to one of the big clubs [eventually]."

One thing Overmars is not doubting is the talent of De Ligt.

"He is incredible in what he brings us, to be our central defender and captain at his age, he has a huge future".

The Catalans have already agreed to sign another Ajax Amsterdam starlet Frenkie de Jong in a deal worth a potential €86m and would like to splash the cash again at Ajax.

Barcelona president Josep Mario Bartomeu also confirmed the current league leader's interest in the Dutchman.

"His name is on the table," he said.

"Where there is such talent away from Barcelona, we're always looking at them.

"It's a topic that will be discussed in our sports planning, which begins in March, with De Jong we felt we had to move quickly because there were many clubs that wanted him".

Rumour probability: 6/10

The story makes a lot of sense in many ways. However, it would be very difficult to convince De Ligt to join Atletico Madrid instead fo Barcelona.

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What's next?

Bartomeu's close friendship with De Ligt's agent Mino Raiola could clinch the deal for Barcelona. But whichever club Mathijs De Ligt chooses to join, he is surely going to be one of the best defenders in the world.