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What's the story?
Liverpool legend Steve Nicol has urged Reds manager Jurgen Klopp to reignite his interest in Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt after it was learned that the club are not looking for reinforcements in the centre-half position.
In case you didn't know...
De Ligt is one of the stand-out performers of the 2018/19 season, having put eye-catching displays to help Ajax to the Eredivisie title and the KNVB Cup.
The 19-year-old had quite the time in the Champions League as well, leading his side to victories over giants like Real Madrid and Juventus in their journey to the semi-finals.
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The Netherland international has eight goals and four assists to his name this season and has grown into one of the hottest prospects in football, attracting the interest of Barcelona, Juventus, Liverpool, and Manchester United.
Sources have, however, confirmed that Liverpool are not looking for centre-backs as Klopp is quite content with the options he has right now.
The heart of the matter
Nicol has now advised Klopp to reignite his interest in De Ligt, stating that the Ajax captain would be a more efficient alternative to Joe Gomez.
Speaking on ESPN, the Liverpool icon said, "I’ll tell you what, De Ligt and Van Dijk at any club would be arguably the best centre-back pairing in world football, no question."
"And absolutely Liverpool need to try and get somebody beside Van Dijk who is in his stratosphere."
"The thing is though, Gomez before he got injured was doing an excellent job but I’m not sure that he is going to get any better than he already is, to be honest with you."
"So I think it would serve Liverpool well to go and get somebody beside Van Dijk who is tried and trusted."
What's next?
Barcelona continue to lead the race for De Ligt's signature, having also secured the services of the defender's teammate Frenkie de Jong recently.
Meanwhile, Liverpool have their sights set on the Champions League final where they are scheduled to face Tottenham Hotspur on June 1.
