Former Liverpool forward Jari Litmanen has tipped Tottenham Hotspur target Matthijs de Ligt to break Virgil van Dijk’s transfer record for a defender.
The 19-year-old centre-back is the most coveted young defender in the world at the moment and is largely expected to leave Ajax at the end of the season.
Despite his tender years, De Ligt is the club captain at the Amsterdam ArenA and he has been on the wish list of almost all the major clubs in European football.
Litmanen indicated that the Ajax defender is already showing signs of being a top defender he is only going to get better in the coming years.
“At 19, he is already very strong”, the former midfielder told Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Do you have any idea what he could become where he is 23?”
He is on the wish list of almost all major clubs in Europe, with Tottenham believed to be keeping tabs, along with Juventus and Barcelona.
The former Liverpool star is not sure which club De Ligt will eventually join, but he is certain that the £75m record fee the Reds paid for Van Dijk will be broken when the Dutchman leaves Ajax.
“I don’t know whether he will be going to Juventus, but I think, when he will leave Ajax, he will be the most expensive defender in history.”
