Juventus seals deal for Ajax's Mattijs De Ligt
The long Matthijs de Ligt transfer saga is finally over after Juventus announced an agreement to sign him from Ajax.
Published : Jul 18, 2019 12:49 IST
Juventus has signed the much-coveted Matthijs de Ligt from Ajax for an initial €75million on a five-year contract, the Serie A champion has confirmed.
The teenage defender agreed personal terms earlier this month and successfully completed a medical on Wednesday after Juve committed to a steep increase on its reported opening offer of €50m.
De Ligt's value skyrocketed across two exceptional seasons as part of Ajax's first team, during which the 19-year-old became club captain and one of the most highly rated youngsters in world football.
Barcelona, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain had all been heavily linked with the Netherlands international before the Bianconeri moved to make him their seventh signing of the close season.
Juve will pay €75m over five years for the player, plus a further €10.5m in add-ons.
A powerful, commanding and technically gifted centre-back, De Ligt rose to prominence on a greater scale last season when helping Ajax to the Champions League semi-finals.
Although it came unstuck in a dramatic collapse against Tottenham , De Ligt starred throughout Ajax's unlikely run, netting the winner in the last-eight victory over Juventus.
In signing De Ligt, Juve has brought in a worthy heir to club icon Giorgio Chiellini, who celebrates his 35th birthday in August.
His arrival could conclude Maurizio Sarri's remodelling in defence, the new head coach having already brought in Merih Demiral, Luca Pellegrini and Cristian Romero, who duly rejoined Genoa on loan.