De Ligt delays announcement on his future but Barça still optimistic
Barça believe they will sign the Ajax defender in the summer
Matthijs de Ligt is only 19 and by the time he turns 20 in August he will no longer be an Ajax player. He's still not made his decision public over his next move, but everything suggests he will follow in the steps of his friend and teammate Frenkie de Jong, who's moving to Barcelona.
The midfielder wanted to end the noise surrounding his future and the transfer was announced in January. Everything that was being reports was affecting his form and he felt it was best to close the matter once and for all. But each person is different and De Ligt's preferred to wait.
BARÇA OPTIMISM
Negotiations are advanced and Barça, with the decision made to sign him, have done nearly everything they need to do to complete the transfer. In this sense, the club are optimistic and are not worried about missing out on him. That attitude may suggest everything's tied down but they simply don't see any need to rush through the signature because they have no reason to think a deal won't be sorted sooner or later.
It could be suggested that De Ligt wants to wait as Ajax continue to progress in the Champions League and his value increases to see if he can get a better deal, but Barça are convinced that won't happen. The reason he wants to wait is much more simple: he doesn't feel it's the right moment to make an announcement with Ajax fighting for the treble.
No one doubts that De Ligt will become a Barça player in the summer but the official confirmation will have to wait. For Barça, it would be a massive surprise if he took advantage of his team's form to ask for more money.
