Liverpool
From Spain: Liverpool emerge as favourites ahead of Man Utd to sign £71m star
Liverpool have emerged as one of the favourites to sign £71m Man Utd target Matthijs de Ligt as the Ajax star prepares to make a decision over his future
Managers are working hard trying to strengthen their squads during the summer transfer window so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip from around the globe. Today, the latest on Matthijs de Ligt’s future…
Liverpool have emerged as one of the favourites to sign £71m-rated Manchester United target Matthijs de Ligt this summer as the Ajax defender prepares to make a decision over his future, according to reports in Spain via TeamTalk.
De Ligt has emerged as one of the most in-demand players in world football after enjoying a meteoric rise to stardom since coming through the youth ranks at Ajax and he captained the side to a domestic double and to the semi-finals of the Champions League last season.
The 19-year-old’s sensational performances in defence have alerted a number of Europe’s leading clubs and TeamTalk are citing a report from Sport that claims Manchester United, Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Barcelona have all tabled proposals for the centre-back.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has seemingly identified de Ligt as the man he wants to build his new look side around for next season as the United boss looks to revamp his squad after conceding a whopping 54 goals en route to a sixth placed finish in the league.
However, the Spanish outlet suggests that de Ligt has all-but ruled out a move to Man Utd due to their inability to offer him Champions League football while a switch to PSG is also deemed unlikely despite his agent, Mino Raiola, liking the fact they have offered the best financial terms.
Sport, via TeamTalk, claims that Liverpool and Barcelona are now the two favourites to sign de Ligt this summer with the two giants leading the race to sign the £71m [€80m] rated Dutch international.
De Ligt was initially tipped to join Barca as he wants to follow former Ajax team-mate Frenkie de Jong in making a move to the Nou Camp but the Catalans have offered the worst deal and Raiola is keen to secure the best terms for himself and his client.
Therefore, the report says Liverpool have become serious contenders to sign the Dutch superstar as they have offered a competitive financial package and Raiola believes de Ligt would benefit from playing alongside compatriot Virgil van Dijk every week.
The fact Liverpool are now the new reigning European champions will obviously also go in their favour as de Ligt can be confident he’ll be competing for major trophies if he was to opt for a move to Anfield.
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It’s going to be interesting to see where de Ligt ends up as it will be a major coup for whoever ends up winning the race for his signature. And we may not have to wait too long to find out as the report says de Ligt is expected to make a decision over his future once the Nations League concludes on Sunday.
