Frenkie de Jong Has His Say on Matthijs de Ligt's Future Amid Barcelona & PSG Interest
Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong has once again begged teammate Matthijs de Ligt to join him at Barcelona this summer.
De Jong, who is set to join Barca in July after agreeing a €75m move to the La Liga champions back in January, is fresh from passing England out of the UEFA Nations League semi-final.
The Dutchman earned another bout of plaudits for his artistry and orchestration of the Netherlands midfield, as the boys in orange ran out 3-1 winners after extra time against the Three Lions in Portugal.
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And, speaking to Spanish publication Sport after the clash, De Jong again urged his compatriot De Ligt to join him at La Blaugrana next term, declaring: "I hope that de Ligt comes with me to Barca, I hope that this is the case.
"Of course we have talked about his future, but clearly it is a matter that he and his family must decide.
"What I cannot do is influence his decision. It is something that must be solved in the next few days between them. He knows what I would like. We will have to wait for the final outcome of the UEFA Nations League to know De Ligt's decision."
It was an eventful evening for the 19-year-old centre half, who gave away a penalty in the first half after sloppily allowing the ball to run under his studs, before rallying back to bring his side level in the second half with a commanding header and marshalling the England attack for the rest of the night.
Naturally, given his extraordinary talents, he has been linked with the great and the good from across Europe, including Manchester United, Manchester City, Juventus, Liverpool and Real Madrid, but Barca have always appeared to be the frontrunners.
Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman, who played at the Nou Camp for six years, revealed he had himself spoken to the player about his future, before citing the advice he offered.
As quoted by the Mirror, the manager proclaimed: "I spoke to Matthijs one week ago about his future and that's secret. What I told all the young players who may be thinking about making a step, is that the most important thing is to keep playing.
"Keep getting minutes to develop your football, that's the most important thing and the way the club is playing is also a really important reason to make your choice. He and his family, his agents and the people around him will make the best decision for him."
