Man Utd: Pundits discuss De Ligt swap deal for Pogba
Manchester United are still pressing to sign Matthijs de Ligt despite missing out on the defender last summer, reports say. The Dutchman chose to leave Ajax for Juventus a year ago, with the Red Devils keen on signing the youngster at the time. And it seems like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is still very much interested in snapping up the 20-year-old.
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Manchester United eyed De Ligt a year ago after the youngster had impressed for Ajax, helping them reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.
The Netherlands international has since struggled to settle in Turin, blowing hot and cold under former Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri.
That’s led to talk of a possible move away and Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport say United are still keen on securing the defender’s signature.
However, there’s two problems.
The first is that Barcelona are also in the race to sign the 20-year-old, with the Nou Camp giants long having an interest in the player.
They also tried signing De Ligt last summer, only to be knocked back.
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And the second is that De Ligt is determined to stay at Juventus and win the Champions League trophy with the Old Lady, who last won the tournament in 1986.
The youngster reportedly thinks that Juventus have a better chance of winning the prize than either Barcelona or United.
And it means the Red Devils apparently have little chance of securing De Ligt’s signing when the transfer window reopens.
Juventus also don’t want to let the centre-back leave after just a year.
They reportedly view him as a symbol for a new era, one where stalwarts Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini won’t be around anymore.
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And even though Juventus’ finances have been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis, De Ligt is primed to stay.
Meanwhile, De Ligt has been backed to join United as part of a swap deal involving Paul Pogba - who still wants to leave Old Trafford.
And ESPN pundit Alejandro Moreno recently had his say on the possibility of the pair swapping clubs.
He said: "Well that's assuming that you actually have a player in mind and player in place that is going to take that position in the middle of midfield for Manchester United because, well, De Ligt yeah would solve a problem in the backline alongside [Harry] Maguire but then you still have a Pogba-sized hole in that middle of midfield.
"You have Bruno Fernandes who has done a wonderful job but you also have to then address that situation.
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"If there's no Pogba, if there's no box-to-box midfielder, who is that guy going to be?
"So if you have that player in mind and you have a plan in place in order to acquire that player, then so be it.
"But until then, you have to resolve what the Pogba issue means to you long term.
"So if you just want to get rid of the guy, yeah sure get value in return in Matthijs de Ligt.
"But you also have to address what you're doing in the middle of midfield."