Agent Mino Raiola has given the biggest hint yet that Matthijs de Ligt will leave Juventus at the end of the season.
The Dutchman has been linked with both Manchester City and Chelsea in recent months and Raiola confirmed that a move to the Premier League would come under consideration:
“We can all think of the clubs that Matthijs could go to, Then you don’t talk about Fortuna Dusseldorf with all due respect. In the summer we have to see if there are clubs on the market. That can be the Premier League, but also Barcelona, Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain.”
Whether City actually need another centre-back, though, it is open to debate. Manager Pep Guardiola has a formidable centre-back partnership in Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte, while he possesses strong backup in the form of John Stones and Nathan Ake.
However, there are doubts over the future of Ake, while de Ligt has been on the Citizens’ radar for quite a long time, with Guardiola having praised the Netherlands international before his £67.5m move to Juve in 2019, saying:
“He’s a good centre-back. He’s 19 years old, and the one who signs him will have a centre-back for years.”
Whether it will lead to a concrete bid in the summer for de Ligt, though, it remains to be seen. Raiola comments do suggest that he will, at least, be available.
