De Ligt out of Ajax tour as Juventus transfer beckons

Juventus target Matthijs de Ligt is "awaiting a possible transfer," Ajax has confirmed.

Matthijs de Ligt on Netherlands duty

Matthijs de Ligt's expected move to Juventus appears close to completion after Ajax omitted its captain from a pre-season trip to Austria.

The Eredivisie champion confirmed defender De Ligt was "awaiting a possible transfer" as it announced a 28-man travelling squad.

De Ligt, 19, has agreed personal terms with Juve and is tipped to sign in a deal worth around €70million.

✔ Sergiño Dest
✔ Jurriën Timber
✔ Victor Jensen
✖Matthijs de Ligt

Squad news for Austria ⤵#PreSeason

— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) July 13, 2019

 

The Netherlands international trained with Ajax as recently as Friday, but a breakthrough in negotiations is said to have been reached.

It seems the Serie A side now only has to complete the final formalities before announcing its seventh new arrival of the close-season.

One of the world's most in-demand players, De Ligt was linked to Barcelona, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain before Juve emerged as the favourite for his signature.