Barcelona academy director Patrick Kluivert believes Matthijs de Ligt has regrets over joining Juventus from Ajax this summer.
It had been widely speculated that the central defender would join the ranks at the Blaugrana this campaign but instead he made the switch to Turin.
Nonetheless, Kluivert – now academy director at Camp Nou – believes his countryman would have been better off moving to Spain rather than joining the Italian champions in a €75m deal.
“I can speak for myself and I did not try to convince him to join Barcelona,” Kluivert told El Mundo Deportivo.
“I spoke to him about the positive aspects of being at Barcelona as a club and as a city. We are obviously talking about an elite defender and he made a choice this summer.
“I think he slightly regrets it now, but that is the situation. In life, you must make choices, sometimes good ones and sometimes bad. You have to learn from your decisions.”
The 20-year-old has started 12 matches under Maurizio Sarri for the Old Lady this season although his form for club and country this season has been questioned.
He has struggled to show his best form at the Bianconeri in his opening months at the club but nonetheless his side has not lost a game this campaign.
