MATTHIJS DE LIGT could be being guided towards a move to Manchester United by agent Mini Raiola because they pay more than Barcelona, it has been claimed.
Ajax star De Ligt is regarded as one of the best young talents in world football after captaining his side to the verge of the Champions League final following last night’s 1-0 semi final first leg win at Spurs.
United scouts have been tracking the 21-year-old defender as they desperately look to bring in a top class player to improve their leaky defence.
But the Dutch international is said to have his heart set on joining Barcelona, with the La Liga champions showing strong interest in him throughout the season.
Barca are confident they will win the race for his signature this summer with Ajax facing up to the prospect of losing one of their best players.
Yet according to reports in the Spanish media, United could yet have a chance to get their man because of the influence of Mino Raiola.
Mundo Deportivo claim super-agent Raiola – who earned a reported £24million from Paul Pogba’s 2016 move from Juventus to United – would prefer his client to move to another club who would pay more for his services that Barca.
They list three sides who he would rather do a deal with – United, Juventus and Bayern Munich.
Of those three, the club likely to have the deepest pockets – and the biggest desperation for a defender – is United.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer knows he needs to embark on a major overhaul of his squad this summer if he is to get his side back challenging for major honours.
Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has been left in little doubt he needs to come up with a large transfer fund to invest, and De Ligt would be a major capture.
But the biggest problem would be persuading the player himself to snub La Liga for Old Trafford.
It is believed he would love the opportunity to play for Barca and in the same team as Lionel Messi – as well as fellow Ajax youngster Frenkie De Jong, who is already on his way to the Nou Camp this summer.
