Premier League giants lose out to Barcelona in race for Matthijs de Ligt

Bengaluru, April 2: Manchester United and Liverpool are set lose out in the race for Ajax wonderkid Matthijs de Ligt, according to reports.

The Dutchman has reportedly agreed a deal with Barcelona and will follow his team-mate Frenkie de Jong to the Nou Camp this summer.

Both Premier League sides were locked in a fierce competition for De Ligt, who has been one of the most sought-after talents in Europe.

The young centre-back had recently said that he could see himself move to Juventus, but he also revealed many other clubs have already spoken to his agent Mino Raiola over a potential deal.

And now, Dutch news outlet De Telegraaf claims De Ligt's future is "clear" and they say the 19-year-old is headed to Barcelona.

Ajax's head of sports Valentijn Driessen said: "It's clear that De Ligt will leave Ajax for Barca.

"Ajax left it clear to Barcelona that they don't have to pay extra for Matthijs, unlike for other clubs."

The Spanish giants indeed seemed to have an advantage over other European clubs due to their blossoming relationship with Ajax.

The Catalans have already signed midfield maestro Frenkie de Jong, from the Amsterdam outfit in a £65m deal.

De Jong even revealed his new club asked him to make sure Ajax dump Barcelona's bitter rivals Real Madrid out of the Champions League last month.

And so they did, stunning the Spanish giants with a 4-1 victory at the home of the Los Blanos, the Santiago Bernabeu.

Also, the La Liga champs have reportedly offered the Dutch side an option to loan a number of their academy talents to sweeten the deal for De Ligt

Juan Miranda, Oriol Busquets, Riqui Puing and Jean Clair Todibo were among the names discussed by the two clubs. And De Ligt's potential arrival opens the doors for Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti, 25, to leave the club.

United have reportedly been interested in the French centre-back along with their rivals Manchester City, and the ex-Lyon man could be available for £51.5m.