Matthijs De Ligt Talks Possible Frenkie De Jong Reunion amid Barcelona Rumours

Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt has praised his Barcelona-bound team-mate Frenkie de Jong and commented on the prospect of possibly joining him at the Camp Nou next season.

De Jong's move to the Blaugrana was confirmed earlier in the campaign, with the midfielder having established himself as one of the most exciting prospects in European football.

De Ligt is also regarded as a potential future superstar and has been linked with a number of Europe's biggest clubs, including Barcelona. Speaking to Voetbal Primeur (h/t Jamie Smith of Goal), the defender said he would be open to lining up alongside his compatriot again.

"I think he had a great season," said the 19-year-old. "He deserves to sign for Barcelona. Play with him there? It would be good to play with Frenkie at a club, but in these moments I don't know what will happen."

According to Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens of ESPN FC, while Barcelona have long been confident of securing the signing of De Ligt, they recently feel as though they've lost ground in the race.

In addition to the La Liga winners, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus are said to be in the market for De Ligt. However, according to Sky Sports, the Catalan giants are still in the box seat to secure the defender this summer.

The defender has added to his glowing reputation with some stellar performances in the UEFA Champions League this season. In addition to his work at the back, he's proven he can be a threat in the opposition box too, scoring this header in the loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-finals:

While De Ligt has been full of praise for De Jong, the latter has previously commented on how effective the former is as a leader:

Whatever club does eventually secure the services of the defender will view his acquisition as a coup, as De Ligt is a generational talent.

Not only is he an astute defender and born leader, but he has also clearly been schooled in the Ajax methods. Technically, he excels in so many areas, whether that be in his tackling style or ability to distribute the ball with authority from deep.

A talent like him is unlikely to come cheap, and if Barcelona were to sign him, it'd be another lucrative acquisition in what's shaping up to be a costly summer. Rafael Hernandez of Grup14 thinks a lot of players may be on their way out to fund those acquisitions:

After leading Ajax to a league and cup double this season, there's unlikely to be any time for De Ligt to relax, as the transfer speculation regarding him will ramp up in the coming weeks.

With De Jong secured and Antoine Griezmann said to be on his way to the club—per Michael Butler of the Guardian—Barcelona are building a serious squad ahead of next term. That is surely something De Ligt will be keen to be part of.