Barcelona are stepping up their pursuit of Ajax centre-back Matthijs de Ligt, according to Goal.

The 19-year-old, who captained his side to a stunning win over Barca’s arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Champions League last week, is one of Europe’s most coveted young players, with several clubs chasing his signature.

Barcelona have long been considered the favourites to sign De Ligt, but now recognise the urgency of getting a deal done soon.

They already have a deal in place for De Ligt’s good friend and team-mate Frenkie de Jong, with the midfielder set to move to Barca in the summer in a £65million deal that was agreed this January. Barcelona are hoping their relationship with Ajax will help make the transfer smoother.

Eric Abidal, the Catalan club’s technical secretary, has already met De Ligt, back in November when talks over a deal were initiated, while club president Josep Maria Bartomeu is set to take the lead in negotiations now to get the deal over the line.

The Camp Nou side have been looking for defensive reinforcements, as the depth behind 32-year-old Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti – who has had recurring injury issues himself – is sorely lacking.

Toulouse youngster Jean-Claude Todibo is also joining in the summer, but De Ligt, who is the current holder of the Golden Boy award given to the best young footballer playing in Europe, has long been viewed as the sort of player who could end up being at the club for the next decade.

A deal could be completed as early as April, with the reigning La Liga champions looking to move fast.