Tottenham are reportedly taking a keen interest in Matthijs de Ligt and have joined the likes of Arsenal, Barcelona and others in pursuit of the Dutchman.
According to an exclusive report from football.london, Tottenham are the latest club to join the chase for Matthijs de Ligt. The Dutch international has been attracting interest from Arsenal, Barcelona and others. Tottenham’s entry will pile even more pressure on Ajax in their attempt to keep a hold of their prodigious defender.
Matthijs de Ligt has had quite a remarkable start to his senior career. A mainstay in the Ajax senior team, the player has even made it to the senior setup for Netherlands and could be set to become one of the go-to men for Ronald Koeman as he attempts to push Oranje into the next era after a rebuilding phase.
Barcelona have been long touted to be the next destination for de Ligt. The Catalans have been taking a keen interest in the youngster for over a season now and reports iterated that the club had intended to bid for the player in January itself, backing out only after their lavish spending to sign Coutinho.
With Samuel Umtiti now bordering on an exit, de Ligt could just be the man to come in and take over the reigns at the back.
At Arsenal, the incentive is perhaps greater. There is no caveat of a player leaving for de Ligt to gain the role of a starter and the Gunners are likely to thrust the Ajax star straight into the starting lineup, with their current options not really inspiring much of late with their displays.
Tottenham though, have joined the race and could emerge as the dark horse in this chase. Tottenham could provide the best of both – a role as a starter along with Champions League football with an added bonus to be part of a youthful squad that already has Europe scared with its potential.
Spurs will have Toby Alderweireld leaving and de Ligt could be brought in to replace the Belgian in the squad. Another thing that might hand Tottenham the advantage is their recent purchase of Davinson Sanchez from Ajax. Mauricio Pochettino did not negotiate much and handed Ajax their desired fee to land Sanchez, which could mean that the Dutch giants get more inclined to negotiating with Tottenham over de Ligt’s transfer compared to other clubs.
Tottenham have already shown they are ready to compete with the giants of world football – not just on the football pitch, but in the transfer market as well. Daniel Levy has shown he is ready to pay the big bucks and support his manager in the market and de Ligt could just be the next one to be brought in.
There is a white revolution brewing in London and de Ligt could find himself joining the same come summer. Tottenham will surely have the edge over Arsenal in terms of ability to attract players, with Champions League football. And if Umtiti does end up staying, they will have an advantage over Barcelona as well in pursuit of de Ligt.
