€67m to sign de Ligt
Bayern Munich signed Netherlands defender Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus for €67 million (NZ$109.6M) to a five-year contract Tuesday.
The 22-year-old De Ligt is Bayern’s first major signing since agreeing to sell star striker Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona last week, and Juventus said the fee for the Dutchman could increase by €10m in conditional payments.
De Ligt arrives after three years and 117 games in all competitions for Juventus, where he won the Italian league and cup once each. He has played 38 games for the Netherlands.
“We wanted to bring Matthijs to Munich three years ago; we were already convinced by his qualities as a defender back then, and today we’re even more so,” Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said. “With his professionalism, his hunger and his wonderful character, Matthijs fits in with our team and our ambitions. He’ll take on an important role at FC Bayern on and off the pitch.”
De Ligt started his career at Ajax and is the third former player from the Dutch club to join Bayern this offseason after the German champions signed midfielder Ryan Gravenberch from Ajax last month for €18.5m and also brought in right-back Noussair Mazraoui on a free transfer. De Ligt’s arrival signifies Bayern is rebuilding its defence for the long term alongside 23-year-old Dayot Upamecano and 26-year-old Lucas Hernandez. German defender Niklas Sule left Bayern for Borussia Dortmund at the end of last season when his contract expired.
With Bayern yet to sign a specialist center-forward to replace Lewandowski, who was the Bundesliga’s top scorer in each of the last five seasons, coach Julian Nagelsmann may operate with a more fluid system up front next season. Bayern’s best-known forwards like Sadio Mane, Leroy Sane, Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry are primarily wide players who can be deployed in a central role. Eric Maxim Choupo-moting was Bayern’s typical backup for Lewandowski but rarely started, and 21-year-old Joshua Zirkzee spent last season on loan in Belgium. Bayern announced Saturday that Gnabry had signed a new contract through 2026. —AP