Matthijs de Ligt Transfer Odds - 02/04/20

Matthijs de Ligt has been in the headlines once again because of his latest transfer debacle. Prior to his move to Juventus, De Ligt was one of the most sought after teenagers around, captaining Ajax to an Eredivisie title and Champions League semi-final at just 19.

Now, after a topsy-turvy year in Italy, the Dutch star has once again got the world talking about a potential move with his recent interview with Voetbal International. Indeed, it may not have worked out as much as De Ligt would have liked at Juventus, but at 20 years old, he is still one of the most wanted defenders in football.

The centre-back told Voetbal International: "A lot has been said and written and it seemed that I made a decision overnight, but of course that wasn't the case.

"It was very annoying that so much was speculated. I tried to shut myself off, although with all the social media that is never entirely possible."

He added: "I have been laughing at such messages for a long time, but it also makes you tired at some point. There was something every day. Suddenly even my father was too fat, which is why a club [United] would not want me."

Now, we take a look at if he could join Manchester United and all the De Ligt transfer odds.

United will forever be linked with the biggest names, as it's part of the package in being such a gargantuan club. The likes of Jadon Sancho, Harry Kane and many other superstars are reported targets for the Red Devils, but, of course, very few of them actually follow through.

Now, De Ligt is the next man on the list, but even more so after the Juventus man spoke about the club in his recent interview. At the moment, United are the favourites to sign him with a 5/1 price tag at Paddy Power, although, the signs don't look too bright for the club.

The signing of Harry Maguire for a world record fee for a defender casts doubts over future expensive signings, whilst the owners have made it clear they don't want to spend. At the same time, De Ligt's buyout clause will no doubt be towards the £100m mark, considering he is just 20, has years left on his current deal and how he cost will Juventus £67.8m over the space of five years.

There is also the consideration that priorities for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might be further up the field, with the links towards Sancho growing stronger and stronger by the day.

However, at 5/1, United remain the favourites to sign the Dutchman.

Prior to moving to Turin, De Ligt was wanted by every elite club out there. His incredible 2018/19 season earned him a spot in the FIFPro World XI, a league and KNVB Cup double, whilst he lost out on a Champions League final by a last-second Tottenham Hotspur goal.

As a result, at just 20 years old, De Ligt's name is still placed amongst the best around and clubs such as Barcelona will no doubt want him at their club still. However, similar to United, finances will be a struggle here for Barcelona.

Over the past seven years, players such as Antoine Greizmann, Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho, Frenkie De Jong, Neymar and Luis Suarez have all broke the bank and forced the watchful eye of Financial Fair Play (FFP).

With this considered and De Ligt's costly price tag, it's tough to see the Spanish giants getting this one done without pushing the FFP boundaries.

At the same time, however, Gerard Pique is 33 and getting closer to the end of his time as Barcelona's main centre-back. With Pique soon to surely be moving on, it will leave just Samuel Umtiti and Clement Lenglet as the only central defenders available, which will surely force Quique Setién's hand in the market.

When all is taken into account, 8/1 isn't a bad price with Paddy Power and should definitely be worth considering.

Bayern Munich are not a club that tends to invest that much in overseas products, as they more often than not choose to produce (or buy from rivals) local German superstars. So, considering how much De Ligt will cost, it's clear to see why Paddy Power price the odds at 12/1 for Bayern to sign him.

There is also the idea that as De Ligt has played in one division which is arguably a 'one team league', he may not want to do another. Juventus are on course for their ninth successive Serie A title, whilst Bayern are heading for their eighth in a row. As appealing as this may be, the German giants have also just two Champions League triumph since the turn of the 21st century, which may steer De Ligt's head elsewhere.

However, Bayern being the gargantuan club they are and as they win titles year after year, saying no will always be tough. At 12/1, it's not such a bad shout, when all considered.

Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are the outside odds, whilst there are very high prices to see De Ligt join Inter Milan and Arsenal.

Indeed, joining the latter two is very unlikely as one is a rival of Juventus and no doubt a step down from his current position and Arsenal aren't exactly the Arsenal they once were - both clubs are understandably so 50/1 to sign the Dutch superstar.

On the other hand, Chelsea are no strangers to breaking the break and are in the midst of their own transitional period under Frank Lampard. Whilst the Blues boss is clearly favouring youth products as his blueprint for long term success, the signing of 20-year-old De Ligt doesn't exactly move away from this idea of building on young talent. With this said, the 14/1 odds aren't so poor.

PSG, on the other hand, are always looking to acquire new players, young and old, and will seemingly pay whatever it takes to be the best - just look at the price tags of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. At the same time, this will once again test the waters of FFP, whilst De Ligt's eyes might be cast on much bigger trophies than just Ligue 1, such as the Champions League - the Juventus man is 22/1 to join PSG.

Real Madrid were heavily linked with the former Ajax man when he was departing the Dutch giants. De Ligt was at one point looked at as the main man in Madrid's transfer targets last summer, but the mega signings of Luka Jovic and Eden Hazard halted this. Now, considering Sergio Ramos is 34, perhaps a long term replacement will be on the mind of Zinedine Zidane - De Ligt is a high 33/1 to join Madrid.