Matthijs de Ligt played it cool when he was asked about a rumoured transfer to Barcelona this summer following Ajax’s stunning win over Juventus on Tuesday night.
The 19-year-old skipper scored what proved to be the winning goal with a towering second-half header after Donny van de Beek had cancelled out Cristiano Ronaldo’s opener, sending the Dutch side through with a 3-2 aggregate scoreline.
But many of this exciting young Ajax side are likely to be poached in the summer, with midfield maestro Frenkie de Jong having already agreed to join Barcelona at the end of the season.
De Ligt is widely expected to leave too, having been linked with the likes of Bayern Munich and Liverpool, though recent reports in Spain suggest Barca are extremely confident of securing his signature.
And as he was coming through the media mixed zone after Tuesday’s match, De Ligt was asked about the potential move to Catalonia.
??¡IMAGEN EXCLUSIVA! El GESTO de DE LIGT a la PREGUNTA de @EduAguirre7 sobre el Barça que HABLA POR SÍ SOLO. #ElChiringuitoDeMega pic.twitter.com/lHXiH4OE7O
— El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) April 16, 2019
A reporter for El Chiringuito TV asked the Dutch teenager, ‘Is it possible to say no to Barca?’ to which he smiled, shrugged his shoulders and said he didn’t know.
That didn’t stop the Spanish television show from analysing his response numerous times, even in super slow-motion, and were convinced his smirk had given away more than he intended.
But he was rather more forthright with another journalist, who asked when he would announce the rumoured move to Barcelona, replying: ‘Announce? There is nothing to announce.’
When pushed further, he said: ‘We’re in the semi-finals of the Champions League and we’re first in the league. That’s enough to play for.’
Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu did little to play down speculation that the club were preparing a big-money move for De Ligt last week, with reports suggesting they’ve already spoken to Ajax about a transfer.