Ajax's Andre Onana Says Matthijs de Ligt Wants Barcelona Summer Transfer

Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana has said his team-mate Matthijs de Ligt is keen on a summer transfer to Barcelona. 

The La Liga side have already confirmed they will be signing Frenkie de Jong from the Eredivisie giants at the end of the campaign. De Jong is one of two crown jewels in the Ajax squad, with De Ligt also considered by many to be one of the most exciting talents of his generation.

Speaking about the young defender, Onana said a switch to the Camp Nou is something they've talked about. "De Ligt would also like to go. I talked to him several times and with both of them," said the Cameroon international, per Goal.

On De Jong, the goalkeeper, who spent time at Barcelona's La Masia academy before moving on to Ajax said "he is young and can always improve, he has a lot of room for improvement."

Both De Jong and De Ligt have been crucial to Ajax's progression in recent years, including their run to the knockout stages of the current UEFA Champions League campaign.

The pair were in the side on Wednesday for the showdown with Real Madrid and were each impressive despite Ajax's eventual 2-1 loss. The Amsterdam giants now face the unenviable task of trying to turn the tie around at the home of the European champions.

With De Jong's future sorted, it now appears the turn of De Ligt to be the subject of incessant gossip up until the summer. There will be a number of teams keen on his services given the strides he has made in his career:

Already he is a leader for the Amsterdam club:

The centre-back has all the qualities needed to play at the base of the team for the Blaugrana. In possession he's composed, able to bring the ball out from deep or spray passes into team-mates further forward.

Positionally he is exceptional, regularly putting himself in the best area to win the ball back for his team:

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu told Radio Kanal Barcelona (h/t Sergi Capdevila of Sport) that the club have "followed De Ligt for a while" but denied there was anything more than a passing interest in the defender at this stage.

Still, it appears the Dutch centre-back is keen to link up with his compatriot De Jong at the Camp Nou again next season. If Barcelona have the finances needed to get another huge transfer over the line for the summer, the spine of their team will look in excellent fettle for years to come.