Arsenal emerge as surprise suitors for Barcelona target

Arsenal have entered the race to sign Ajax wonderkid Matthijs de Ligt, reports The Sun.

Ajax have already agreed to sell Frankie de Jong at the end of the season and De Ligt will be the next high profile sale.

The Netherlands international has been heavily linked with summer moves to Juventus and Barcelona after developing into one of the most highly rated young defenders in Europe.

Premier League clubs have so far been reluctant to pursue De Ligt’s signature due to his agent, Mino Raiola.

The super-agent has caused Manchester United all sorts of problems over the last few years and that has put other Premier League sides off De Ligt.

Ajax sporting director Marc Overmars is being heavily linked with a return to Arsenal to replace Sven Mislintat at the end of the season and the Dutchman's arrival could boost their chances of signing De Ligt.

However, Arsenal are in financial turmoil at the moment and will need to offload a number of high profile players in order to be able to afford a stunning move for De Ligt.

De Ligt is the highest WhoScored rated centre-back in the Eredivisie this season (7.37). Moreover, the 19-year-old has impressively completed 91.8% of his passes in the league this term.