Barcelona have made the acquisition of coveted Ajax and Netherlands centre-back Matthijs de Ligt their priority for next summer, according to reports.

De Ligt, 19, has earned rave reviews since his 2016 debut. These displays have seen both Manchester clubs, Roma, Juventus and Bayern Munich linked strongly to his signature.

SPORT have stated that the La Liga champions’ technical staff have decided that a replacement for ageing defender Gerard Pique is their no1 aim after the end of 2018/19. A decision to hone in on De Ligt followed an impressive display on October 2 in the 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich.

A fee between €70-80 million is expected to be required.