Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur are among the clubs in contention to sign Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt.
A recent report from El Nacional has offered an update on the future of Matthijs de Ligt. It appears that the Juventus defender could soon be set for a move away from Turin, with his agent Mino Raiola frustrated with the player’s situation at Vecchia Signora.
The Italian agent has already contacted Barcelona regarding a potential move for the Dutchman. But it appears the Catalans are prioritising a move for other alternatives despite retaining an interest in de Ligt. As a result, Raiola has now reached out to Real Madrid and Premier League clubs, with Tottenham among the ones interested in the services of the Juventus centre-back.
Their new coach Antonio Conte is a huge admirer of de Ligt and has made him one of the club’s priority targets for the upcoming January transfer window, hoping to take advantage of his precarious situation at Juventus. However, they will need to beat Real Madrid in his pursuit, although Los Blancos are yet to favourably respond to being offered his services.
Indeed, the former Ajax starlet has found it difficult to flourish under new coach Massimiliano Allegri. He has mustered only eight starts in the current season, once again finding himself behind the ageing defensive duo of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci in the pecking order.
His struggles could prompt him to take the next step in his career, with Tottenham prepared to hand him a platform to showcase his quality in the Premier League. De Ligt is already known to be an admirer of English football and considers it a step ahead of the Italian Serie A.
From a sporting perspective, there are quite a lot of vacancies in Tottenham’s defensive department. While Cristian Romero has done well since coming in, the club is crying out for a proper defensive leader after the departures of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld.
The Lilywhites were even linked with a move for another Dutch defender in Stefan de Vrij, with the Inter Milan ace himself being keen on a potential reunion with Conte. However, in Matthijs de Ligt, Tottenham could land themselves one of the biggest defensive talents in world football, who can potentially become the face of the club’s defensive unit for years to come.
At the same time, though, de Ligt is likely to cost a fortune, as Juventus won’t be all too keen on parting ways with their star asset in January. Hence, it will be interesting to see how this transfer saga takes in the coming months, especially with Real Madrid and Manchester City also involved in the race to sign the Dutch international.