Tottenham are hopeful their relationship with Ajax will help them to beat Manchester City to the signing of Matthijs de Ligt this summer, according to the London Evening Standard.
De Ligt, 18, has been a sensation in the Eredivisie since breaking into the Ajax first team at a very young age – he is already a full Netherlands international, too.
Spurs want De Ligt to replace Toby Alderweireld, who is expected to leave in the coming weeks after failing to agree terms on a new contract earlier this year.
Alderweireld is believed to be a target for Manchester United, but Tottenham are reportedly holding out for £75m for the Belgian.
De Ligt, valued at around £50 million, is also apparently a target for some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Manchester City.
The Standard believes Spurs will try to take advantage of their “strong connections” with Ajax in order to tempt the Dutch club to sell De Ligt to them.
Tottenham have signed a number of Ajax players over the years, including Jan Vertonghen, Christian Eriksen and Davinson Sanchez.
Whether that means Ajax will be willing to do business with Spurs again remains to be seen.
