Tottenham Hotspur reportedly want to sign Matthijs de Ligt.
Calciomercato have reported in recent months that the Netherlands international is a target for Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici at Spurs.
And if one rumour from Italy is true, there’s an increased chance of it happening this summer.
That’s because the same publication reported on Friday that Juventus have agreed a deal to sign Antonio Rudiger.
Not that Rudiger’s potential move to Turin definitely means that the Italian giants will be losing a central defender, but the reason why De Ligt is linked with Tottenham is because the lack of stability at Juve right now and it’s certainly possible that the two could be linked.
In January, the Lilywhites target was reported to have had a £54 million price-tag [La Repubblica] and the North Londoners wouldn’t hesitate to pay that.
Remember, De Ligt has been around for a few years now but he’s still only 22.
We’re talking about a generational defender and although bigger clubs than Tottenham will be in the mix if it transpires that he’s leaving Italy, the Conte and Paratici axis at Hotspur Way is undeniably appealing.
Conte remains one of the world’s finest football managers and having led Inter Milan to Serie A success as recently as last season, surely De Ligt would fancy a stint under the Italian.
It isn’t definite that he’s leaving Juventus, but the Rudiger story, combined with Tottenham’s documented interest, makes it even more plausible.
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