City move ahead of Arsenal in race to sign in-demand 18-year-old

Arsenal have seen Premier League rivals Manchester City move in front of them in the race to sign Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt.

The Mirror reports that City are interested in the defender who has been valued at £50 million by his current club.

De Ligt is widely regarded as one of the best young defenders in Europe, becoming the latest name to come through the highly-regarded Ajax academy.

Arsenal have been heavily linked with a move for the youngster in recent weeks, but now City appear to be leading the way.

Pep Guardiola is desperate for his side to target quality over quantity in the transfer market this summer, with de Ligt earmarked as a potential signing.

Arsenal could be boosted in the hope that regular game time would be more likely at the Emirates when compared to Manchester City.

Bayern Munich are also said to be interested in the player but are unlikely to be able to match the spending powers of both the Premier League sides.