Barcelona Pull Out of Race to Sign Highly Rated Ajax Defender Matthijs De Ligt

Barcelona are said to have brought their pursuit of Ajax youngster Matthijs De Ligt to an end after reportedly understanding that he has chosen his next

Barcelona are said to have brought their pursuit of Ajax youngster Matthijs De Ligt to an end after reportedly understanding that he has chosen his next destination.

De Ligt has become a top transfer target for a host of sides across Europe after his impressive performances at the heart of the Ajax defence, with the likes of Juventus, Bayern Munich and Barcelona all demonstrating their significant interest.

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However, it now appears as though De Ligt will not be making the trip over to Spain and will instead be heading elsewhere when he eventually leaves Ajax.

According to AS, Barcelona have conceded that De Ligt is highly unlikely to make the move to Catalonia and have said: "We think it will end up at Bayern Munich or at Juventus in Turin,"

They also went on to add that they tried as hard as they could to make the deal a success and "worked on the subject to the point that they can not do anything else".

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Barcelona's original plan was to make a double swoop for De Ligt and his Ajax teammate Frenkie De Jong, who is also set for a big money move either in January or at the end of the season.

A report from Mundo Deportivo is also claiming that De Ligt's agent Mino Raiola is intending to exploit the interest of many clubs in order to launch an auction for the 19-year-old.

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For this reason, Barcelona are only remaining interested in De Jong and are prepared to battle for his signature, despite previous reports suggesting that Ajax would only be willing to sell De Ligt and De Jong as a duo.