Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman believes reported Barcelona target Matthijs de Ligt will leave current club Ajax in the near future.
The in-demand Dutch defender is not only wanted by Barca but a number of top European clubs including Paris Saint-Germain, Inter and Roma.
The 19-year-old has already won international recognition with the Netherlands, capped 11 times, and has made 80 first-team appearances for the Dutch giants.
“It is obvious a player of the level of Matthijs will move into a higher league soon,” Koeman told reporters, as cited by Marca.
“I have talked about him a lot and the truth is he should be playing at a much higher level, he has the ability to make it to the very top in football.
“He made his debut in the Champions League group stage and then his next game was on a plastic pitch away against Excelsior, that is not something that is sustainable.
“Besides, the pace of the Eredivisie is not as high.”
It is likely that any deal will be expensive with the central defender’s contract in Amsterdam running until 2021, with Ajax holding the option to increase that by a further year.
Barca’s central defensive concerns have been highlighted recently with Samuel Umtiti’s injury coupled with Gerard Pique’s loss in form.
