Defensive star Matthijs de Ligt’s move from Juventus to FC Bayern is perfect. As the Bundesliga club announced on Tuesday, the 22-year-old Dutchman will receive a contract until 2027.
The German soccer record champion transfers 67 million euros for the Dutch national player planned as the new defense boss, as Juve announced. The transfer fee is therefore to be paid in four installments. There could also be bonus payments of up to ten million euros.
“Matthijs de Ligt not only impresses in top international football with his playful qualities, but also as a guy who always leads in all his teams,” said CEO Oliver Kahn according to the Bayern announcement.
“He learned to take responsibility at a young age. A strong team doesn’t just need a strong offensive, and with this transfer we are strengthening our defense at an absolutely top level.”
After the transfer of star striker Sadio Mané, the commitment of the 22-year-old is the next coup by Bavaria’s sports director Hasan Salihamidzic. On Tuesday, de Ligt traveled to his new teammates in the USA.
Munich and the defender, who was also courted by Chelsea FC, had long since verbally agreed on a change. The sale of Robert Lewandowski to FC Barcelona should have increased Bayern’s financial leeway and now accelerated the second most expensive purchase in Bundesliga history.
Only for the signing of Lucas Hernández did Munich pay even more in 2019. Together, de Ligt and the French now form the most expensive defensive duo in the world.
Munich have been missing a boss in defense since David Alaba left for Real Madrid on a free transfer last year. Dayot Upamecano, signed by RB Leipzig for 42.5 million euros, was too unstable in his first Bayern season.
Hernández, who also plays at left-back, is not the commander in the back line. It wasn’t Niklas Süle either, the national player switched to Borussia Dortmund.
De Ligt, on the other hand, became captain of Ajax Amsterdam at the age of 18 and was an indispensable part of the Amsterdam Revival squad that only lost to Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2018/19. Right-back Noussair Mazraoui, who has been a Bayern professional since this summer, was also part of this young team at the time.
The change of the new head of defense will probably silence the criticism of Salihamidzic’s transfer policy. While the 45-year-old was booed at the championship celebrations in May, his record now appears in a completely different light.
