Dutch central defender Matthijs de Ligt, one
of the most coveted young players in world football, signed Thursday for
Juventus from Ajax for a fee of 75 million euros ($84.2 million) plus add ons.
The 19-year-old agreed a five-year contract
with the Italian champions.
Juventus said in a statement the fee would be
paid over five financial years, with "additional costs" of 10.5
million euros.
The combined fee makes De Ligt the world's
most expensive defender, surpassing the 84 million euros Liverpool paid to sign
his Netherlands teammate Virgil Van Dijk from Southampton in 2018.
De Ligt is Juventus' third most expensive
signing after the 105 million euros they paid to buy Cristiano Ronaldo from
Real Madrid in 2018 and the 90-million-euro transfer of Gonzalo Higuain from
Napoli in 2016.
De Ligt had also been linked with Manchester
United, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain after his impressive performances for
a young Ajax side that reached the Champions League semifinals last season.
His Ajax teammate, 22-year-old midfielder
Frenkie de Jong, has already joined Barcelona.
In a deal hammered out by his powerful Italian-born
Dutch agent Mino Raiola, De Ligt will earn a basic annual salary of 7.5 million
euros that could reach 12 million euros with bonuses, according to reports in
Italy.
"The sporting project proved
decisive" in De Ligt's decision to choose Juventus. "For a defender,
Italy is always an ideal place."
AGEING DEFENCE
The Turin-based club, now coached by former
Chelsea mentor Maurizio Sarri, were keen to bring new blood into an ageing
defence that features 34-year-old Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, 32.
De Ligt played 117 games for Ajax in all
competitions, scoring 13 goals. He scored the winner in Turin as Ajax
eliminated Juventus in the Champions League quarterfinals.
De Ligt has played 17 times for the
Netherlands, forming a formidable central defensive partnership with Van Dijk.
He took over the captain's armband at Ajax in
March 2018, making him the club's youngest ever captain.
De Ligt said Ronaldo had urged him to join
Juventus after the two faced each other for their countries in the Nations
League final in June won by Portugal.
Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman says De Ligt
"will become one of the best defenders in the world in a short time".
De Ligt is the latest big-money summer
transfer following the 120-million-euro deal that took France striker Antoine
Griezmann from Atletico Madrid to Barcelona and the 126 million euros that
Atletico splashed out on 19-year-old forward Joao Felix from Benfica.
After a disappointing 2018-2019 season, Real
Madrid have strengthened with the acquisition of Belgian playmaker Eden Hazard
from Chelsea for an initial 100 million euros, with another 34 million euros in
potential add-ons.
Premier League champions Manchester City
bought Spain international Rodri for a club record 70 million euros (£63
million).
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