Liverpool have considered an approach for Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt ahead of the summer transfer window, according to a report.
The 22-year-old has been heavily linked with numerous top clubs around Europe ever since breaking into the first team at former club Ajax, and this speculation has continued despite making the £77m move to the Turin side in 2019.
Manchester United and Chelsea are said to hold an interest in the Dutchman, but Calciomercato are reporting that Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool are the latest to explore a possible approach in the summer.
Were De Ligt to make the move to Anfield, it would provide Klopp with a host of defensive options to choose from, with Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez all currently on the books with the Champions League finalists.
However, it was reported on Friday that Juventus are planning to ward off interest in their defender by offering two different contract extensions at the end of the season.
One such offer would extend De Ligt's stay at the Old Lady until 2026, with the other reportedly seeing his salary decrease, but also reducing the release clause of around €125m (£105.6m) included in his current contract.
The defender still has two years left to run on his current deal with Juventus, where he has gone on to make 116 appearances across all competitions for the club since making the move from Amsterdam three years ago.
Matthew Tranter
