Tottenham Hotspur set to battle Liverpool in race to sign 21-year-old Dutch defender: Reports

Tottenham Hotspur are set to provide competition to Liverpool in the latter's pursuit of Ajax defender Devyne Rensch, according to Caught Offside.

Rensch, 21, has popped up as a vital starter for Ajax since making his senior debut in November 2020. He has contributed 10 goals and 12 assists in 147 games in all competitions for Francesco Farioli's side so far.

Now, according to the aforementioned report, Liverpool have scouted the versatile defender in recent games and their scouts have offered positive feedback. On the other hand, Spurs are also keeping close tabs.

Should Rensch secure a move to the Merseyside outfit in the future, he would pop up as a fine rotational option for them. He could potentially fill the void left by Trent Alexander-Arnold's expected departure next year.

On the other hand, the two-cap Netherlands international could pop up to be a key starter for Ange Postecoglou's team. He would likely start beside Cristian Romero should Pedro Porro leave Spurs in the near future.

Liverpool boss hails upcoming opponents

At a pre-match press conference, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot showered praise on Southampton ahead of his team's Premier League trip to St. Mary's Stadium on Sunday. He said (h/t liverpoolfc.com):

"I would say [they're] much more than a capable team. I've seen them already playing against [Manchester] City and Arsenal and against Wolves. Those are the three games I've seen already and with two more days coming up, I will probably see one or two more. They've shown that they are very capable of playing teams like us."

Slot, who has lost just once as Reds' new boss so far, concluded:

"I think it was against [Manchester] United where they had a penalty first, so they've been, in my opinion, a bit unlucky. The playing style has been excellent and they've been in almost every game. They could've had a result in almost every game they've played. I know everybody is looking at [Real] Madrid and City as difficult, but in my opinion, Southampton is going to be a difficult one as well."

Slot's outfit are atop the 2024-25 Premier League standings with 28 points from 11 games with a goal difference of +15. Southampton are 20th with just four points so far, boasting a sub-par goal difference of -14.

The Merseyside outfit have recorded 11 wins and one loss in their last 14 matches across competitions against the Russell Martin-coached side.