Yahoo Sport 
Man City scout Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt
Manchester City are among the clubs looking closely at the promising Holland international defender Matthijs de Ligt, with technical director Txiki Bergiristain in Amsterdam on Wednesday for meetings with the club’s Dutch scouts.
De Ligt, 18, was due to play for Ajax in their Eredivisie game against VVV Venlo on Thursday night although there was no confirmation that Bergiristain would attend the game in person. He was there with Gary Worthington, the club’s assistant head of player recruitment, for meetings with chief Dutch scout Kelvin De Lang about the club’s plans for the summer.
De Ligt was impressive for the Netherlands against England in March and despite being thrown in for a difficult senior international debut last season after just two first team games for Ajax – Holland lost the ensuing World Cup qualifier to Bulgaria – his improvement has been rapid since then. He is being scouted by many of the Premier League’s leading clubs with a view to a transfer this summer or the next.
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He has been valued at around £50 million and has attracted interest from across Europe. City’s track record with recruiting central defenders has been mixed and the final decision will rest with Begiristain and Guardiola.
Begiristain entrusts the club’s Dutch recruitment operation to Seb Arnesen, son of Frank, a former Danish international and a technical director at Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. The club are in the market for a centre-back this summer. In January they broke their transfer record to sign Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao for £58 million. City also have a number of development players on loan at Eredivisie clubs.
Manchester City have broadcast footage of Guardiola’s speech to all 82 members of his staff at the club’s training ground, as well as his squad, thanking them for their contribution to the club’s Premier League title triumph. He made the speech on Wednesday, the first training session back after a break that followed the title being sealed by Manchester United’s defeat to West Bromwich Albion.
Guardiola said: “You can lose one game, two games - but to be [competitive] nine months, ten months, every single day. That is the most outstanding thing an athlete can show in their lives, and the people who surround them.
"You create something unique in terms of the locker room, spirit and friendship. It is impossible to achieve what we achieved if you are not good human beings, if you are not good people, if you don't accept each other. In the end, what we have done is to be better than 19 other teams, nothing else. But what you have done - all the people here, you deserve all my respect.
“It will always remain in my heart until the last day of my life, I am pretty sure of that. What I felt this season is something amazing."
