Arsenal and Tottenham to battle for defender this summer
Arsenal target Matthijs De Ligt has been courted by local rivals, Tottenham, according to Football London. The Ajax defender has also captured interest from Barcelona.
De Ligt, 18, is a regular for Dutch giants Ajax. The Amsterdam club value De Ligt at £50 million, and with Toby Alderweireld’s future at Spurs being in some doubt, Spurs are likely to be in touch with the teenager in advance, in order to gain advantage over competitors.
Likewise, Barcelona’s back-line is also in question, with French centre-back Samuel Umtiti rumoured to be interested in a move to Manchester United.
De Ligt has become the youngest ever captain in Dutch professional football when he captained his side earlier this year.
De Ligt made his senior Netherlands debut against England last month, then kept a clean-sheet, and assisted two goals in their 3-0 defeat of European champions, Portugal.
The defender is just one of a group of young talents at Ajax, and given the club’s reputation of their outstanding youth development, De Ligt could truly be a fantastic prospect, and could fill a place in Arsenal’s defence for many, many years.
The Gunners will be hoping he doesn’t want to join ex-team-mate Davinson Sanchez at Tottenham, which would make him the fifth player to make the switch from Ajax to Spurs.