PSG confident in signing Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt

PSG have their sights set on bolstering their defense this summer. They might have just found their man…

With an important summer transfer window in front of them, Paris Saint-Germain are said to be the favorites to sign Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt, per ESPN FC. The 19-year old star defender has made waves this year with his performances during the Eredivisie season in the Netherlands as well as his work in Ajax’s impressive Champions League run that saw the Dutch champions knock off the likes of three-time defending champions Real Madrid and a Cristiano Ronaldo lead Juventus side, only to suffer a heartbreaking comeback loss by Tottenham Hotspur in the competition’s semi-finals.

After rumors of interest from European powers like Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Juve and Manchester United, it is PSG and the return of Brazilian sporting director and former PSG man Leonardo who lead the sweepstakes for de Ligt. Leonardo is said to be in constant contact with de Ligt’s agent, the notorious Mino Raiola, who also represents talents like Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marco Verratti and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

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PSG will be faced with the challenge of balancing their books so to speak, so as to not infringe on UEFA’s financial fair play rules if they are to sign de Ligt this summer. That would mean the potential of moving on players like defenders Thomas Meunier and Presnel Kimpembe, who they’re confident in selling, and may even have to consider selling defensive stalwart Thiago Silva if they can find a suitor for the 34-year old centre back.

With Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon already out the door for Thomas Tuchel’s side, the reigning Ligue 1 champions will focus on bolstering their roster with more pragmatic signings like de Ligt who could help PSG make deeper and more meaningful runs into the highly coveted Champions League. After winning their domestic league by 16 points this year to runner-up Lille OSC and outscoring their opponents by a margin of 70 goals, there’s not much left for PSG to shoot for other than a European title. De Ligt may prove to be a building block in that quest if they’re able to complete the deal.