Barcelona are reportedly concerned Liverpool may try and hijack their deal to sign Ajax star Matthijs de Ligt this summer.

De Ligt, 19, is thought to be on the verge of a transfer switch to Barcelona after Ajax were dumped out of the Champions League in dramatic fashion by Tottenham.

The Dutchman has risen to prominence this season, as Ajax reached the Champions League semi-finals by knocking out Real Madrid and Juventus.

Mundo Deportivo claim a delegation from Barcelona flew to the Netherlands last week to determine De Ligt’s summer plans, with the player keen to link up with his Ajax team-mate Frenkie de Jong in Spain.

After announcing the signing of De Jong in January, De Ligt could join the midfielder at Barcelona in a £75million deal.

However, with Netherlands powerhouse Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool, Barcelona are concerned about the Reds stepping into hijack their move for De Ligt.

Van Dijk and De Ligt play in defence for the Netherlands and Liverpool are still weighing up who should partner their centre-back in the long-term at Anfield.

Playing alongside Van Dijk may appeal to De Ligt, who has made over 100 appearances for Ajax and scored twice in their Champions League run this campaign.

Barcelona will push ahead with their plans to sign De Ligt after suffering their own Champions League heartbreak to Liverpool.

The Reds overturned a three-goal deficit to dump Barcelona out of the competition and progress into the final to take on Premier League rivals Tottenham.

Source: Metro

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