Could Matthijs de Ligt move to the Premier League with Liverpool? Ajax’s Eredivisie captain is arguably the world’s best young centre-back.
Former Dutch international Rene Van der Gijp has backed Matthijs De Ligt to swap Ajax for Liverpool in the summer transfer window, as reported by Voetbal Primeur.
De Ligt has established himself as arguably the best young defender in world football in the last two seasons, captaining Ajax at the age of 19 while winning the prestigious Golden Boy award last year.
It seems only a matter of time before the centre-back bids farewell to the Amsterdam giants, however. Mundo Deportivo have reported that De Ligt could follow fellow Ajax starlet Frenkie de Jong to Barcelona next summer for a fee of £65 million.
But Van der Gijp, who won 15 caps for the Netherlands and now acts as a TV pundit in his homeland, believes De Ligt would be better off honing his trade alongside international teammate Virgil van Dijk at the heart of Liverpool’s back line.
“(De Ligt moving to Liverpool) would be great for Dutch football if those guys can play side by side for five to six years,” said the former PSV and Heerenveen winger. “Then you get one of the best centre-back partnerships in Europe.”
Liverpool fans would undoubtedly agree. Van Dijk is a genuinely world class centre-back but he has looked a little nervy in recent weeks playing alongside Joel Matip, while Dejan Lovren remains as error-prone as ever despite his assertions that he is one of the best around.
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