Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1141804
30 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 14 JULY 2019 SPORTS FOOTBALL AJAX have left captain Matthijs de Ligt out of their squad for a training camp in Austria as the player is "awaiting a pos- sible transfer". The Dutch centre-back has been linked with a move and Barcelona, Ju- ventus, Manchester United and Paris St-Germain have all been named as po- tential destinations. De Ligt, 19, led Ajax to the Eredivisie title, the Dutch Cup and Champions League semi-finals last season. He joined the club aged nine and has scored 13 goals in 117 games. De Ligt made his Ajax debut in 2016 and was named the club's captain in March 2018. In a statement, the Dutch club said: "[We] left Saturday afternoon with 28 players to the training camp in Bram- berg, Austria, Awaiting a possible trans- fer, Matthijs de Ligt does not travel with the group." Last week, Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu said he knows where De Ligt would be playing next season, but would not elaborate on the point. Serie A champions Juventus are thought to be the favourites for De Ligt's signature and are reportedly close to a £71.6m deal. Matthijs de Ligt Ajax captain 'awaiting possible transfer' - Juventus favourites De Ligt joined Ajax as a nine-year-old