Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt admits he would welcome a move to Liverpool this summer – as he would love to play alongside Virgil van Dijk.
The 19-year-old defender was part of an Ajax side that famously dumped three-time reigning European champions Real Madrid out of the Champions League this week, with De Ligt seeing his stock rising on the back of an influential display.
The likes of Barcelona, Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus have all been strongly linked with De Ligt this summer, with his £60million valuation unlikely to prove prohibitive.
But the defender, speaking to Omnisport, has grabbed Jurgen Klopp’s attention by explaining why the chance to play alongside Van Dijk for club and country would certainly make him consider a move to Anfield.
“Virgil is a player who has experience in the top leagues,” De Ligt said.
“Of course you want to learn from him. ‘It’s very useful to play next to him in the Dutch team.
“It could happen [joining Liverpool]. He plays for Liverpool. A nice club.
“But I’m not focused on this. I focus on Ajax. And then I will see where I will end up.”
Barcelona confirmed their interest in signing De Ligt earlier this week, with president Josep Maria Bartomeu saying: “His name is on the table.
“Where there is such talent away from Barcelona, we’re always looking at them.
“It’s a topic that will be discussed in our sports planning which begins in March, with De Jong we felt we had to move quickly because there were many clubs that wanted him.”
Ajax sporting director Marc Overmars has also admitted he was unsure what the future holds for the highly-talented teenager.