Barcelona are increasingly unlikely to land Matthijis de Ligt due to two key factors.
The Catalan giants have not heard from the Ajax superstar’s agent Mino Raiola for three weeks – and are targeting other deals.
De Ligt, 19, is moving closer to a stunning transfer to Paris Saint-Germain while Barcelona grapple with something of a cash crisis.
In the latest highly-informative Transfer Window Podcast with Duncan Castles, Ian McGarry and special guest Graham Hunter, the trio deliver the most up-to-date news on the biggest moves across Europe.
Barcelona-based journalist Hunter describes in detail how the Liga champions must offload players to fund summer deals.
Antoine Griezmann is likely to join and Barca will refuse to settle for another centre-back who is not comparable to de Ligt.
The finances at the Nou Camp are also key to any move for Neymar . Whilst they are keen on brokering a deal that would see the Brazil forward return to Catalonia, Barca won’t pay over the odds for the player PSG are keen to move on.
In fact, transfer guru Castles has revealed the Blaugrana have even floated a package that would see Neymar have to take a paycut to rejoin.
Castles said: “My information is that Barcelona would ask him to take a pay-cut from what he’s on at PSG to come back.
“The briefing I have from Qatar is that they are absolutely ready to sell Neymar this summer on the condition that the financial package works for them which is essentially getting the money they paid back.”
Meanwhile, in another prospective move of the summer, L’Equipe have reported Paul Pogba has "zero intention" of staying at Manchester United beyond the summer.
The France midfielder remains Zinedine Zidane’s top target for Real Madrid – despite being offered alternatives such as Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen.
Pogba has also been linked with a return to Juventus but it appears likelier the player viewed as l’enfant terrible by some at Old Trafford will move to La Liga.
A Real Madrid source told L’Equipe said: “If we have the opportunity to sign Neymar or Kylian Mbappé, then we can discuss giving them €20m a year because they are immense world stars. But a player like Pogba, as good as he is, cannot just arrive like that and become the best paid player in the squad. He needs to think and make those who are advising him think.”
