Barcelona's vice-president, Jordi Mestre, has played down claims that the club are nearing an agreement with Ajax for the transfer of Matthijs de Ligt.
The 19-year-old centre-back has impressed this season by captaining Ajax to the semi-finals of the Champions League, where the Dutch outfit lead Tottenham with an aggregate score of 1-0 going into the second leg at the Johan Cruyff Arena on Wednesday night.
Manchester United and Manchester City have both been linked with moves for the defender, widely held to be the most promising centre-back in world football, after the Blues missed out on de Ligt's Ajax teammate Frenkie de Jong in January.
And Barcelona's requirement for a centre-back is not as strong as some might think, according to Mestre.
"I don't know why they're saying this because [De Ligt] hasn't signed," he told Sky, via Marca.
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"[Gerard] Pique is evidently one of the best central defenders in the world, if not the best.
"After him, we have players like [Clement] Lenglet, [Samuel] Umtiti and we've signed a very young player in [Jean-Clair] Todibo.
“The defenders we already have are of the highest level.
"In De Ligt's case, we'll speak with the sporting director at the end of the season and we'll speak not about De Ligt, but about what they say."
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