Report: Spurs leading Matthijs de Ligt chase

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Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly leading the race to sign Matthijs de Ligt this summer.

According to a report from The Sun, Tottenham are leading the race to sign Ajax sensation Matthijs de Ligt with Mauricio Pochettino no longer overly keen on either Alfie Mawson and Harry Maguire.

The Sun suggests that Toby Alderweireld looks to be on his way out of Spurs at the end of the season and Pochettino has identified de Ligt as his long-term successor.

Arsenal and Barcelona have also been scouting the Ajax starlet, but The Sun reports that the Catalan giants’ interest has now cooled and it is Spurs who have edged ahead of their North London rivals in the race to sign the centre-back.

The Sun adds that Pochettino’s desire to sign the £45 million-rated 18-year-old has come about as he is no longer convinced that Mawson or Maguire will be able to fill the void that Alderweireld looks set to leave at the end of the season.

Huge coup for Spurs?

Spending as much as £45 million on a teenager could be viewed as a gamble, but de Ligt’s emergence suggests that any deal has the potential to look a massive bargain in years to come.

The youngster has featured prominently for Ajax this term and already has a handful of caps for The Netherlands under his belt, so is clearly destined for a very bright future.

And having seen so many former Ajax players flourish at Spurs in recent seasons, perhaps de Ligt may be tempted to follow a similar path during the summer in the hope that Pochettino can be the manager who guides him towards realising his full and frightening potential.