It seems every club on the continent wants Matthijs de Ligt this summer.

Although his talent has been well documented for three seasons now, the 2018-19 campaign has solidified his status as arguably the most talented teenager in world football.

Despite being just 19 years of age, he proudly captains an Ajax team that won its first Eredivisie title in five seasons and came just minutes away from a Champions League final.

However, unfortunately for the Dutch champions, such incredible talent comes with transfer interest and it seems inevitable that De Ligt will be leaving the club this summer.

That seems especially likely when you consider Frenkie de Jong has done exactly that and penned a move to Barcelona during the January transfer window.

Superb season for De Ligt

Reports in Spain are strongly suggesting that De Ligt will follow suit and joining his compatriot would certainly make sense, even if it would prove a double blow to Ajax.

Nevertheless, with a slightly more protracted saga than the one that engulfed De Jong, it seems as though other European giants have had their chance to enquire about the starlet.

Everyone from Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United have been linked with his signature, but Liverpool could very well be the dark horses.

Liverpool have already held talks

There had been rumours suggesting that Liverpool were in the hunt for De Ligt, yet that seems to have quietened in recent weeks with all the Barcelona speculation.

However, it seems as though Liverpool are closer than many would expect, with Guillem Balague revealing that the club have already made steps towards signing him.

During an appearance on BBC's Five Live Football Daily podcast, the Spanish football expert shed new light on the De Ligt situation and it makes promising reading for Liverpool fans.

Balague explained on the programme: “They (Barcelona) think they have De Ligt, even though both Liverpool and PSG have also been talking to him.”

Wow. So, it seems Barcelona fans should hold their horses and that Liverpool - as well as PSG, admittedly - appear to have equal footing in negotiations.

Does that mean Liverpool are close to signing him? It's hard to tell, but it certainly seems as though De Ligt and his team are trying to weigh up all the options available to them. 

The allure of resuming his centre-back partnership with Virgil van Dijk could certainly be appetising and many players are allured by the chance to work under Jurgen Klopp.

They will face plenty of competition along the way and Barcelona remain the favourites, but don't write off Liverpool just yet and it seems that negotiations were well underway.

Where do you think De Ligt should move to this summer? Have your say in the comments section below.