Ronald de Boer has urged Ajax youngsters Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong to sign for Barcelona ahead of Manchester City.
The duo have alerted some of Europe’s biggest clubs over the past couple of years with mature performances beyond their tender years.
Could De Ligt and De Jong cut it for the Catalans? Five key things to know…
- Central defender Mattijs de Ligt made his senior Ajax debut in September 2016.
- Frenkie de Jong, a midfielder, made his debut shortly after.
- De Ligt is seen as an ideal ball-playing defender in the Gerard Pique mould, while De Jong can play as a deep-lying playmaker, box-to-box or as a No.10.
- The pair have picked up a combined 15 caps for the Netherlands already, despite having a combined age of 40.
- Barcelona and Man City are among the elite clubs linked with the pair, with De Boer advising they go to Barca.
Barcelona and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are among the clubs to have a reported interest, but De Boer reckons City should only be a second choice to the Catalan club.
“I advise them to sign for Barcelona, or if not, for Pep [Guardiola’s] Manchester City,” De Boer said, according to Spanish outlet Sport.
“Ajax’s style is the same as Barça’s, they could adapt quickly. I would also advise them to go to Barcelona because the club is in my heart.”
De Ligt and De Jong urged to ignore finances
If the Spanish and English champions are to fight it out for Ajax’s highly coveted pair, it may well come down to which club can offer them the highest wages.
However, De Boer, who won 67 caps for the Netherlands during his playing days, has advised the youngsters to think with their heads and not with their wallets.
“One million more or less doesn’t matter,” De Boer added.
“The important thing is that they go to a team that fits their style. They have a lot of quality and there are many clubs interested. “
The former Barcelona midfielder also thinks that Le Ligt and De Jong’s age could be a big incentive for his old club to make a swoop so that they may avoid ‘problems like Bayern [Munich]’.
The 48-year-old said: “Barça have to renew their team in the coming years because if they don’t they will have problems like Bayern. It is better to sign young players now and to get them ready for when they have to start games.”
Ajax face Den Haag on Sunday and are looking to close a five-point gap between themselves and PSV Eindhoven at the top of the Eredivisie.
The post Ajax duo De Ligt & De Jong urged to join Barcelona over Man City appeared first on Squawka News.
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