Rumour Mongering: Everyone (Including Liverpool) Wants Matthijs de Ligt

When Matthijs de Ligt signed with Juventus as a 19-year-old in the summer of 2019 in a blockbuster €75M deal, it served as confirmation that the young Dutch centre half was widely seen as the game’s top young defender.

So far, it’s probably safe to say he’s been a solid performer but that he hasn’t quite lived up to the price tag. Still, De Ligt remains an exceptional talent, and one who as a now 22-year-old defender still has plenty of room to grow.

He’s also down to having two years left on the five-year deal he signed when he joined Juventus—and he has so far resisted Juventus’ attempts to sign a new contract. Which means there’s going to be some transfer chatter.

Or rather more than some. That’s because Corriere dello Sport and others in Italy are intent on linking De Ligt with just about every major club in Europe, including Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City and United, Real Madrid, PSG, and Barcelona.

About the only name from outside of Italy missing is Bayern Munich, and that might just be an oversight that will be corrected for the next round of the rumour. From a Liverpool perspective, though, it seems an unlikely link.

If Liverpool were to make another big signing this summer it would be in midfield, the next priority for a refresh after the attacking rebuild that has seen Luis Diaz, Fabio Carvalho, and Darwin Núñez arrive over the past six months.