Barcelona, City interest won't tempt Ajax to sell prodigy De Ligt in January
Ajax sporting director Marc Overmars has said there is a “zero percent” chance teenage defensive star Matthijs De Ligt will leave the club in January.
De Ligt is just 19 but has reportedly attracted the interest of clubs including Barcelona and Manchester City with his hugely impressive, commanding performances for the Dutch giants. His defensive display as Ajax secured a 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich in the Champions League at the start of October was of particular note.
Related – Report: Manchester City monitoring Ajax stud De Ligt
Overmars, who played for both Ajax and Barca during his own career, has insisted that although “it’s a possibility” the phenom will leave next summer, he will be completing the current season in Amsterdam.
“The chances of De Ligt leaving Ajax in January are zero percent,” Overmars told LaRoma24, via ESPN’s Sam Marsden.
Matthijs de Ligt is the third-youngest player in history to earn 10 senior caps for the Netherlands men’s national team.
The youngest in the post-war era. ?? pic.twitter.com/Zk1BZKbpmk
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) October 13, 2018
De Ligt is regarded as one of European football’s next biggest stars. The center-back made his senior Ajax debut as a 17-year-old two years ago and was named club captain at the age of 19 this summer.
He has reached 74 appearances for the club – scoring eight goals in the process – and has amassed 10 caps for the Netherlands national team with 10 months of his teenage years still remaining.
After the 3-0 Nations League win over Germany on Saturday, in which De Ligt played the full 90 minutes, the defender was asked whether he would prefer a move to Barcelona or Manchester. He would not be tempted, however, instead replying: “Ajax! The newspapers need to write something, it’s normal,” as quoted by Barcelona-based outlet Sport.
