LIVERPOOL IN RACE FOR DUTCH DEFENDER

Liverpool have joined the race for highly-rated Ajax defender Matthijs De Ligt according to news reports from Europe. De Ligt is considered as the best teenage defender and has been the subject of speculation across Europe.

The 19-year-old has captained Ajax this season and has been impressive in his performances alongside fellow countryman Frenkie De Jong.  This has attracted attention from the top teams in Europe as he is seen as the next best defender.

De Jong has already earned a move to Barcelona in the summer and it is believed that there is a four-way battle for De ligt’s signature. Liverpool, Barcelona, PSG and Real Madrid are believed to be interested in the Dutch international.

Liverpool are looking at the prospect of forming an elite partnership at the back with De Ligt and Van Dirk. Van Dirk is widely considered as the best defender in England and adding De Ligt to the backline would make for a formidable defence alongside Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

PSG are looking at revamping their defence after the latest disappointment in the Champions League and Thiago Silva is expected to play a reduced role next season. Barcelona have the edge as they have done business recently with the Dutch club and have a good relationship.

However, it would most likely come to who can pay the huge transfer fee that is likely to be placed on the defender. It is expected that a fee of around £60 million would be enough to purchase the player in the summer.

Liverpool last season splashed a record bid of £70 million to sign Van Dirk from Southampton and he has proven to be a bargain. It remains to be seen if the Reds are willing to splash the cash to get the Dutch defence.

AZ MAKE LIGHT WORK OF UTRECHT

AZ Alkmaar put themselves right back in the discussion for the top-four places, thanks to a comfortable win 3-0 against Utrecht in the Dutch Eredivisie.

Calvin Stengs was the cream of the crop for AZ on the night as his goal was the pick of the three goals – a beautiful solo goal that was executed to perfection. AZ fans must have been delighted to see Stengs play so well.

AZ Alkmaar went into the game fifth on the Eredivisie log following Vittese’s win the day before.

Surprisingly, there was no place for RiechedlyBazoer on the Utrecht starting lineup as the player was left on the bench, in favor of Nick Venema in the team.

On the other hand, there were no surprises for AZ when the team sheets were revealed, as Stengs spearheaded the attack as expected, alongside Mats Seuntjens and Oussam aIdrissi.

AZ began the game very much on the front foot and eventually went ahead on 36 minutes through Ricardo van Rhijn. The Dutch midfielder fired a cracking effort from distance that narrowly beat goalkeeper David Jensen.

The lead was double just before half time after Seuntjens received a long ball from midfield before tucking the ball home past a helpless Jensen. The goalkeeper must have wondered how this particularly one got in. He will be kicking himself for not saving that one! 2-0 the first half ended with AZ in full control.

There was a Utrecht change at halftime with Jean-Christophe Bahebeck coming on in place of the disappointing Venema.

We saw the pick of the goals in injury time however, as Stengs did well to glide a couple of challenges in the Utrecht defense before firing the ball past Jensen. That was Stengs first goal since returning from his long-term injury and the delight on his face during celebrations was clear for everyone to see.

Van Den Brom To Leave Az Alkmaar Club, Much Likely To Join Utrecht

Van Den Brom who is the longest-serving coach of the AZ Alkmaar in the Eredivisie is in charge of the club since the year 2014. But recently many doubts are raised regarding his continuation as the coach of the club and there are many speculations that he will leave the club. As per some reports, he will step down from the position of the coach at the end of this season.

He was a former professional footballer and even after retiring from professional football, his tryst with football continued as he became the manager of a football club and then a head coach of the AZ club. While he was a player, he had played for Ajax, Vitesse, Istanbulspor and De Graafschap. He was a great player but he is known as a coach more than a player.

The 52-year-old stalwart is having some issues with AFAS Stadion and things are not going in the right direction between them. The person who is most likely to be the successor of Brom is the current assistant to Van, named Arne Slot. Both Voetbal international and AD are reporting and claiming that after stepping down as the coach of AZ club, Van Den Brom will take over at the club of Utrecht as the reports suggested that there were talks between him and the owner of the club, Frans Van Seumeren.

Currently, Dick Advocaat is the head coach of the club of Utrecht and under him; the club has reached many milestones and has climbed to 4th position. But he has made it very clear that he will only stay until the conclusion of the campaign and thereafter he will say goodbye to the club. However, the news regarding Van’s leaving the club is not much authentic as no official confirmation has been made.

KNVP Cup 2nd Round: Heerenveen Survives And Scare As Az And Willem Ii Ease Through

The second round of the KNVB Cup continued on Wednesday evening with several Eredivisie sides in action. Below is a tour of all the results.

  • Heracles 0-2 Vitesse

Vitesse is safely in the coming round after a victory over Heracles in Almelo. Martin Odegaard set Vitesse on his way with a big strike for 40 minutes before the young attacker Thomas Buitink freezed the victory at the last minute.

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Alkmaar player rejects Arsenal

Az Alkmaar player Myron Boadu has admitted an offer to join Arsenal in 2016. He said that it was a tempting offer but he decided to remain with his club. He said that it was a tough decision to take and that he decided that it was not the right moment for him to make the move.

Myron Boadu is considered as one of the hot prospects of Dutch football and has made a strong start to the current season scoring three goals in four appearances for his club AZ Alkmaar. He said that he is feeling really good and that he wants to continue improving his game.
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Ajax ‘doing everything’ to re-sign Manchester United ace

Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag has confirmed that the club are doing everything within their reach to re-sign former defender Daley Blind from Manchester United. The Netherlands international left the Amsterdam club for United after his strong performance at the 2014 World Cup and he has since experienced plenty of ups and downs.

Speaking to Telegraaf, Ten Hag confirmed that Blind is being considered for a possible return this summer but the deal depends on different upon United and the potential interest from other clubs, he said: “[He is] a player with a lot of experience, in the Premier League and in the Dutch national team. He is a stable personality. Just like the arrival of Dusan Tadic, this also counts as a considerable effort of the club. We are doing everything, but it also depends on other parties.”
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