Matthijs De Ligt targeted by Antonio Conte in sensational swoop

Posted Tuesday, November 16, 2021 by fourfourtwo.com

Tottenham Hotspur want Matthijs De Ligt - who hasn't settled at Juventus - to be Antonio Conte's statement centre-back signing

Matthijs De Ligt is wanted by Tottenham Hotspur, according to Calciomercato.

New boss Antonio Conte wants new blood at the club, as he looks to kickstart his revolution in north London. While plenty of new centre-backs have been linked with the club, however, De Ligt is perhaps the highest-profile.

The Juventus man joined from Ajax in 2019 for around £77m but with the Old Lady still relying on the likes of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, De Ligt has struggled to adapt to life in Serie A. Now, Conte wants to bring him to his defence - and not just for his technical abilities.

De Ligt became the youngest captain in the knock-out phase of the Champions League at the age of just 19 and 186 days. A leader on and off the field, it's thought that Conte wants a profile of his stature to be vocal in the team.

Milan Skrinriar has been tipped to follow Conte from Inter Milan - and Tottenham have long shown interest in his services - but De Ligt may only be a touch more expensive and at 22, he still has his best years ahead of him.

With Cristian Romero expected to lead the defence, Conte is weighing up other options for his back three. Eric Dier might end up keeping his place, while Japhet Tanganga is an unpolished but promising prospect who has come through the ranks at the Lilywhites. Davinson Sanchez - previously the club's record signing - is also still there.

Ben Davies is another name who has been touted to play centre-back, too.

Tottenham might yet be interested in another Serie A star, too - and one that they know well. Christian Eriksen is now banned from playing in the Italian league, since the Italian FA's rules forbid players from playing with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) device.

Eriksen was fitted with an ICD after suffering a cardiac arrest at Euro 2020. The Dane has not played since - and has since been told he is free to leave Inter Milan.

Spurs may yet go back in for the playmaker, who departed in January 2020 for Inter.