Tottenham eye move for £50m Dutch sensation Matthijs de Ligt as Toby Alderweireld replacement

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London, April 4: Tottenham Hotspur are looking at a potential £50m summer swoop for Ajax young defensive sensation Matthijs de Ligt as speculations counts over the fate of Toby Alderweireld.

Alderweireld suffered an injury in November and came back from the injury in January, however, till now has not played for Spurs since the FA Cup match at Rochdale a month ago.

The centre-back has been at loggerheads with the club over a new deal for some time now and now it is assumed that this is the very reason Pochettino is not opting for the player. Pochettino also recently has told that the Belgian defender is no longer his primary choice indicating the player's closing time at the club.

Alderweireld who is currently on a €100,000-a-week cap at the club reportedly has demanded something in the region of €180,000 a week, however, Spurs are not willing to go over the €120,000/week. And with the situation, such complicated, many reports have suggested that Spurs have now formally backed off from contract negotiations with Alderweireld amidst his demands for a top-level wage.

Reports in England claim that French giants PSG, English powerhouse Manchester United and La Liga leaders Barcelona all are ready to swoop in with a mega-money offer as much as £40million to lure the defender to their respective sides in this situation.

However, according to reports, Spurs are also apparently plotting for a bigger swoop as reports in England have suggested that Pochettino wants to use that money to bring 18-year-old Ajax sensation De Ligt, who has starred for club and country in a breakthrough season this term.

The youngster is contracted at Ajax until the summer of 2021 but has already cemented his place as a vital cog for the Dutch powerhouse and even became the youngest ever captain in Dutch professional football when he donned the armband for Ajax back in January.

The young defender also has been on the radar of the likes of Barcelona, Arsenal etc. for quite a long time. Seeing such interest towards their player, the Dutch side has reportedly put a minimum price tag of £50million on his head. Should the Belgian defender move on during the close of the season which is most likely to happen, the London based sides are ready to open their coffers again to land the promising player.

Spurs also have a very good relationship with the Dutch side which can act as an icing on the cake. The London based club earlier acquired the likes of Christian Eriksen, Jan Vertonghen and Alderweireld in earlier years, and most recently Davinson Sanchez last summer for a club record fee of £36m.

Thus they will now hope that good relationship between them could again give them an advantage over others regarding the teenage player as they face fierce competition for his signature.

The young defender has played 34 matches so far for Ajax and has nicked three goals with further two assists. He also last month appeared for his country's two friendly matches. One against England which they lost 1-0 but days later overcame Portugal 3-0 where the defender set up two goals.