According to the Guardian, Pep Guardiola wants Manchester City to agree a deal with Ajax for defender Matthijs de Ligt, as a long-term replacement for Vincent Kompany. The 18-year-old is highly-rated and would be perfectly engrained in City’s new style.
De Ligt rose through the youth ranks to the Ajax first-team in 2016 and has gone on to make 62 appearances in all competitions. The young centre-back has been a regular in their backline this season, making 39 appearances across the board, contributing six goals, and could be on the move this summer.
Guardiola has John Stones, Aymeric Laporte, Nicolas Otamendi and Kompany as his options in defence for next season, but the latter is in the eve of his career. Kompany is 32, out of contract in 2019, and only made 14 Premier League starts this campaign.
His exit looks inevitable next summer if not in the coming weeks which means City will need a replacement. De Ligt is young and will need time to develop, but he’s being tipped for a bright career.
To be a regular in the Ajax first-team as a teenager shows maturity, so perhaps he could be mentored by Kompany for his final year at the Etihad Stadium before handing over the reigns.