Over the weekend, Bayern Munich suffered a setback in the transfer window as Robert Lewandowski left Bavaria to join FC Barcelona. However, the German Champions managed to make it a club record sale and start focussing on strengthening other areas of the squad.
Bayern has managed to get their top transfer target to strengthen the defense on Sunday. According to various media outlets in Germany and Italy, Die Roten has reached an agreement with Juventus for the signing of Matthijs de Ligt. The Dutch defender will replace Niklas Sule as the German international moved to Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer.
The German Champions will reportedly pay a fee close to €80 million (€70 million plus €10 million in bonuses) for the services of de Ligt. The Dutch international has already accepted the contract proposal from Rekordmeister, so he is expected to be in Munich on Monday to complete the transfer.
Julian Nagelsmann wanted a central defender that could be the leader at the back. Matthijs de Ligt fits this profile as he has leadership experience. Despite the slightly underwhelming time in Turin, de Ligt is still 22, and his best years are ahead of him.
DONE DEAL! Bayern Munich and Juventus have reached full agreement for the transfer of Matthijs de Ligt. @SPORT1
— Kerry Hau (@kerry_hau) July 17, 2022
The Dutch international is expected to go straight into the starting lineup. It will be interesting to see who Nagelsmann will opt for as partner of de Ligt on the first matchday of the season. Lucas Hernandez and Dayot Upamecano are likely to fight for this place, while Benjamin Pavard will be the fourth center-back option in the squad.
Die Roten started talks with Juventus a week ago. The club’s sporting director Hasan Salihamdizic flew to Turin to start negotiations for the Dutch international. The German Champions had already agreed personal terms with the central defender. He also reportedly ordered his representatives to stop talks with other clubs since he preferred a move to Bayern. After the first bid was rejected last week, both clubs found an agreement on Sunday.
Bayern has made sure that de Ligt will get an ample amount of time to get used to his new teammates. The Dutch defender will travel to the USA for the pre-season tour once he completes the medical and other formalities of the transfer on Monday.
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After completing the deal for de Ligt, Rekordmeister will focus on completing the signings of Mathys Tel and Konrad Laimer. The German club has to improve offers for both players as their first bids were rejected. Die Roten may also look for a striker to replace Lewandowski in the remainder of the transfer window.