DE LIGT CHOOSES OLD LADY
Ajax captain ends transfer saga with RM327 million move to Juventus
NETHERLANDS teenage centre back Matthijs de Ligt has agreed a deal to join Italian champions Juventus from Ajax Amsterdam, Sky Italy reported yesterday.
According to the report, Juventus will pay £62 million (RM327 million) for the Ajax captain, 19, who was one of the key players in the Dutch side’s thrilling run to the Champions League semi-finals.
He will become new Juventus head coach Maurizio Sarri’s first signing after the Italian was appointed as Massimiliano Allegri’s successor last week.
De Ligt said earlier this month that he was asked about a move to Juventus by Cristiano Ronaldo at the end of the Nations League final after Portugal beat the Netherlands 1-0.
“I didn’t understand him at first. I was a little shocked, so I laughed. But I didn’t say anything,” De Ligt had told the Netherlands’ NOS television.
“So soon after the game you are
not at all concerned with it. You are disappointed that you have lost and that is the only thing you are thinking about.”
Spanish media reports had said the highly-rated player was expected to join Barcelona and link up with Ajax’s Frenkie de Jong, 22, who is set to move to Spain next month.
De Ligt broke into the Ajax first team aged 17 in 2016, becoming a regular starter the following season and soon became the most coveted defender in Europe thanks to his strength, anticipation and ability on the ball.
He played 90 minutes in 17 of 18 matches and scored three times in Ajax’s Champions League campaign, which culminated in an agonising semi-final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on away goals.
De Ligt could rake in between €15 million (RM71 million) to €20 million (RM94 million) annually, the NOS added, saying the contract would last five years.
It would not be the first time a well-known Ajax player made the move to the Italian club, with former Dutch international goalkeeper and current Ajax CEO Edwin van der Sar playing 66 games for Juventus between 1999 and 2001, among others.
De Ligt’s manager and sometimes controversial football agent, the Dutch-Italian Mino Raiola, is also said to keep “warm ties” with Juventus, De Telegraaf said.
Meanwhile, Manchester United have made clear their asking price for striker Romelu Lukaku and will now begin to wait for offers for the Belgian, according to reports.
Lukaku has been linked with an Old Trafford exit for several months, with Italian giants Inter Milan said to be at the top of the pile of suitors.
The player himself has talked up the prospect of playing in Serie A, and United will now sanction the move if they receive £75 million, as report the Mirror.
United are claimed to be waiting to recoup exactly the same payment they parted with when signing Lukaku from Everton in 2017.
Under former manager Jose Mourinho, Lukaku enjoyed a brief flourish for United, though later slipped down the pecking order and now finds himself behind Marcus Rashford.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is reported to be willing to sanction the move, as he looks to drastically overhaul a United side in need of a fresh start.
A move to Inter would see Lukaku link up with the man who very nearly signed him in 2017.
Antonio Conte, who recently took over at the San Siro, battled against Mourinho in the transfer market in attempt to bring Lukaku back to Chelsea.
His efforts were in vain, though Lukaku clearly picked up a respect for the Italian manager.