Liverpool have been heavily linked with fellow Champions League semi-finalist Matthijs de Ligt, who captained Ajax to the Eredivisie title.
Liverpool have been put off by Matthijs de Ligt’s price-tag, according to the Standard, with the Premier League runners-up planning for the future with Joe Gomez instead.
At the age of just 19, De Ligt has established himself as arguably the best young centre-back anywhere in world football.
He recently captained Ajax to the league and cup double in Holland, the Amsterdam giants winning the Eredivisie title for the first time in five years while reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League.
With De Ligt expected to follow Frenkie De Jong out of the door this summer, Liverpool have been mentioned as a potential destination – particularly as the teenager’s Dutch international team-mate Virgil van Dijk is already at Anfield.
But, according to the Standard, Liverpool are unwilling to invest substantial fees in players who they do not see as ‘guaranteed starters’. It is this logic that saw them stand aside and allow Bristol City’s Lloyd Kelly to join Bournemouth for £13 million.
Suggestions that Liverpool did not view De Ligt as a key part of their first XI might be a surprise to some but it must not be forgotten that Jurgen Klopp already has a talented young international at the back in Englishman Joe Gomez.
The report adds that Ajax will demand a fee in excess of £61 million for De Ligt.
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