ClapWe all get excited about the prospect of world class players making big time moves during the summer transfer window, but let’s face it, more often than not it terms out to be nothing more than speculation and we don’t actually get anything concrete to get up in arms about.
As reported by BBC and The Guardian, however, that isn’t always the case, with Serie A champions Juventus recently confirming that they have secured the signing of highly rated Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt.
For months now there have been so many back and forth reports regarding where the Dutchman was going to end up, but now, we know that Turin is going to be his next destination. Barcelona had also been in the mix in an attempt to bring him over alongside former Ajax teammate Frenkie de Jong, but it seems as if Juve were just that little bit more impressive to him. Below is the official statement from Juve regarding the signing.
AGREEMENT WITH AJAX FOR THE DEFINITIVE ACQUISITION OF THE PLAYER MATTHIJS DE LIGT
Turin, 18 July 2019 – “Juventus Football Club S.p.A. announces that the agreement with Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax NV for the definitive acquisition of the registration rights of the player Matthijs de Ligt has been reached for a consideration of € 75 million, payable in five financial years, and additional costs of € 10,5 million.
Juventus and the player have signed a 5-year contract of employment until 30 June 2024.”
When it comes to planning for the future, it doesn’t get much better than this. Matthijs has proven himself to be one hell of a leader with Ajax, and at the age of just 19, the sky really is the limit for him. It won’t be long before people are talking about him as one of the best defenders in world football, with some already considering the youngster to be just that.
It’s no secret that one of Juventus’ primary goals is to go after Champions League title, because as we all know, they’ve struggled to do so in the last few years – coming close, but not quite close enough, losing out to Real Madrid and Barcelona in two really entertaining finals.
Whenever you can take a big step forward as a club it’s important to throw your entire weight behind it, and that’s exactly what they’ve done here. They are going to be able to keep building on this squad with a nice mix of experience and youth, which is exactly the sort of mentality you need to have.
It goes without saying that they’re going to be the favourites to walk away with the Serie A title once again next season, but there are certainly a few contenders that could upset the status quo. Inter Milan are making some real gains in the summer transfer window, Napoli are still as strong as ever, and some other fringe sides could put the cat amongst the pigeons.
It’s an exciting time to be a fan of Italian football, but beyond that, Juventus specifically.
