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Jamie Carragher drools over the possibility of Liverpool signing Dutch defender

Liverpool legend-turned-pundit Jamie Carragher has praised the qualities of Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt after watching the Dutchman in action during the recent Champions League campaign. The 19-year-old skippered Ajax up to the semi-final stage of the elite competition where they suffered a shock late defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur.

Speaking to The Star, Carragher was asked about a potential target for the Reds this summer and he happened to mention De Ligt, who recently celebrated a domestic double with Ajax. He added to laud the centre-back’s development at such a young age and believes the teenager is destined to make the top, he said: “You look at De Ligt and, for me, it’s almost a guarantee he’s going to be a top player. He’s a man. It’s unbelievable what De Ligt is doing at 19-years-old. The performances we saw him give in the Champions League were outstanding.”

De Ligt has been associated with a number of top European clubs since the end of the season and the Reds have been one of them mentioned in the media. However, it does not appear that they would make an attempt to pursue him, considering the Reds have four central defenders within the ranks at the moment.

As such, the focus could lie more on strengthening the depth in the attack front and it remains to be seen whether they can pursue a top-class talent without the assurance of a starting role. Lyon’s Nabil Fekir and Sporting Lisbon’s Bruno Fernandes have been earmarked as potential targets and the former could be pursued on the cheap with his existing deal due to expire at the end of next season. Fekir came on the cusp of joining the Reds last summer, but the move fell through at the final hurdle with the Merseyside outfit holding concerns over the recent injury record.

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