Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly backed out of the race for Matthijs de Ligt.
According to the Daily Star, Tottenham Hotspur have ended their interest in Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt, feeling they have little chance of signing him now.
Spurs advanced into the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday night, advancing past Manchester City in one of the most topsy-turvy games of all time.
Their opponents in the semi-finals will be Ajax, and whilst the Amserdam side weren’t one of the favourites at the start of the competition, they should not be taken lightly after knocking Real Madrid and Juventus out of the competition.
Ajax have some quality young players, and nobody embodies that more than defender De Ligt, who stepped up with a huge performance against Juventus on Tuesday, scoring the winner to send Ajax through.
The 19-year-old is already the Ajax captain, and not only does he have a huge future, but he’s top quality now, and a host of clubs are keen – but Spurs appear to be backing away.
The Daily Star report that Tottenham have been tracking De Ligt for over a year now, but have decided that they are ending their interest out of a belief that he will be joining a bigger club.
Barcelona and Juventus are leading the race, with Ajax demanding around £69million for their prized teenager, a fee that seemingly means Spurs are giving up hope.
Another centre back may well be targeted this summer anyway, given that Toby Alderweireld could leave Spurs, but De Ligt won’t be reuniting with Davinson Sanchez at Tottenham according to the latest reports.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
