Arsenal have entered the train of contenders to sign in-demand defender Matthijs de Ligt from Ajax, according to a report.

De Ligt is believed to be on the locator of Juventus, Manchester City, Manchester United and Barcelona after another impressive season with the Dutch club.

The Sun shows  that the Gunners are also interested in signing the Netherlands international, who has worked closely with Arsenal legends Dennis Bergkamp and Marc Overmars at Ajax.

The 19-year-old is said to be a huge admirer of Arsenal, but Unai Emery must first convince the board to part with £70m to bring in the highly-rated teen.

Emery has a £40m budget for the summer window, though that could potentially double if the North London outfits qualify for the Champions League and get Mesut Ozil off their books.

De Ligt joined Ajax at the age of nine and has made just short of 100 appearances at senior level, becoming the first defender to win the Golden Boy award along the way.