According to the latest reports from Sport Bild, Jurgen Klopp has asked the Liverpool hierarchy to sign Ajax defender Matthijs De Ligt in the summer. Almost all the top clubs around the globe have been linked with the Dutch defender in the past six months. The Liverpool and Barcelona rumours have been going on and off, but this is the first instance where it seems like the Reds really want him in the summer.
At just 19, De Ligt led his team to the Eredivisie title and Ajax were seconds away from moving to the Champions League finals as well. They might have fallen short against Tottenham, but they won praises from everyone for how they dismantled European giants like Real Madrid and Juventus in the previous rounds.
Liverpool, on the other hand, have been on an upward trajectory and they have turned from the ”not most attractive girl in the village to a supermodel”. That’s not our words, but that’s how Jurgen Klopp explained the Reds. It’s clear that after the Champions League triumph, prospective players would love to join the Merseyside club who are seemingly getting back to their glory years.
Does Klopp need a defender?
The performance of Virgil van Dijk has been universally applauded. However, his partner for the most of the second half of the season Joel Matip did a fantastic job as well. Joe Gomez showed in the first half of the season how good he could be before injuries brought him down. As a backup option, Dejan Lovren seems to be a decent bet as he is an experienced defender.
However, De Ligt will be a long term option for the club and playing alongside his national team-mate could be a massive factor for the Reds.
The defender is unlikely to come in cheap, but the Reds should be in a good financial position after winning the Champions League and coming close to winning the Premier League as well.
Klopp wanting the board to make this signing suggests that he wants to build a dynasty at the club and his defensive situation could be sorted for years to come with Alisson, Van Dijk, Robertson and Alexander-Arnold at the back.
Massive statement from Liverpool
De Ligt has all the elements of a modern-day defender as he is physically imposing and robust. He is also a master of playing out from the back. The defender is yet to hit his peak years, and it’s almost scary how good he is at 19. The Reds might not be in a desperate need of a defender, but a signing like this would make a massive statement.
