Liverpool join title rivals in race to sign £63m-rated phenom likened to Cristiano Ronaldo

Liverpool are ready to rival Chelsea for the signing of Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt this summer, according to a fresh transfer claim from Italy.

The 22-year-old has been seen as one of Europe’s leading young centre-backs for several years now, having burst onto the scene with Ajax back in 2018/19, being called ‘world-class’ by Jaap Stam.

De Ligt made 31 appearances in Serie A last season, as well as starting seven Champions League games, averaging 2.9 aerial duel wins per match in the former.

The £63million-rated Dutchman has been tipped for a move away from Juve this summer, with Liverpool thought to be one of the teams in the mix.

According to Tuttosport [via Sport Witness], the Reds are still interested in signing De Ligt, with the report saying ‘pay attention to Liverpool’.

A move to the Premier League would reportedly be ‘difficult to refuse’, with Chelsea also seen as contenders to snap up the highly-rated Netherlands international.

De Ligt is clearly a top-class centre-back with enormous potential – his mentality has been compared to Cristiano Ronaldo by Edwin van der Sar –  but Liverpool are extremely well-stocked in that area currently.

In Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate, Jurgen Klopp has three wonderful defenders at his disposal and Joe Gomez is also a strong option, should he stay put.

A move for De Ligt could be ideal once the likes of Van Dijk and Matip are past their best – he and Van Dijk both averaged 3.1 clearances per game in the league last season – but for now, their money should be spent on more pressing areas, such as midfield.

In other news, one attacking player is wanted by Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool this summer. Read more here.

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