According to a Spanish publication Sport, Tottenham Hotspur have let Matthijs De Ligt’s entourage know over the last few days that they want to complete a deal for him.
Reports from Italy claimed at the start of December that Spurs were the front-runners for De Ligt, who was ‘liked’ by many other clubs across the continent.
De Ligt’s agent Mino Raiola admitted last week his client is ready for ‘the next step’ in his career but hinted that a transfer was only likely to go through in the summer.
However, according to Sport, a January sale cannot be ruled out for De Ligt, with Juve needing to sell the player to address their economic problems.
The report claims that Spurs and Chelsea are both ready to ‘bid very hard’ for the Netherlands international, with the Blues said to be keen on signing him next summer.
Barcelona are also thought to hold an interest in De Ligt but it is stated that the defender’s salary would be a problem for the Catalan giants.
Tottenham’s managing director of football, Fabio Paratici, who was thought to be instrumental in taking the centre-back from Ajax to Juve in 2019, is said to have conveyed to the defender that he is keen on bringing him to North London.
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The report alleges that while De Ligt’s release clause stands at around €150m (£126.8m), Juve could be willing to sell the player for a figure close to €50m (£42.2m).
Spurs Web Opinion
De Ligt would be an excellent signing and a natural fit for Conte’s system at left-centre-back. However, I expect Spurs to have a lot of competition for the Dutchman if he becomes available.
Given that De Ligt is contracted to Juventus until 2024, I suspect that the Serie A giants would want much more than £40m for the centre-back in January.
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