Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt could be the hottest defender on the market but his apparent interest in joining Barcelona has maybe cooled slightly.

The 19-year-old is set to make a decision on his future with Ajax keen to wrap up his expected exit ahead of their titanic Champions League quarter-final clash with Real Madrid.

It was anticipated De Ligt would join up with colleague Frenkie de Jong at the Camp Nou with the midfielder completing his €75million move in the summer.

However, the centre-back remains open to the possibility of joining Serie A giants Juventus who head the list of potential suitors.

“[A move to Juventus] could happen, but there are others who are also interested,” he said via Tuttosport (h/t) Goal).

“We’ll see at the right time. At the moment I’m fully focused on Ajax and my agent [Mino] Raiola is taking care of the rest.

“Also, [Frenkie] de Jong hasn’t spoken to me about a move to Barcelona.”

With Samuel Umtiti’s future up in the air, signing a centre-back is top priority for Barcelona in the summer.