De Ligt: agent secures buyout clause that could facilitate Juventus exit
The figure is high for a defender but would not completely restrict the likes of Real Madrid, PSG or Barcelona coming in to buy him in the future should De Ligt decide to cut short his stay at Juventus.
Juventus’ signing of Matthijs de Ligt appears to be reaching its final stages.
The 19-year-old Ajax captain had initially been widely tipped to join Barcelona, before PSG became the frontrunners to sign him. But now all indications are that the Bianconeri have won the battle to secure the services of one of the hottest properties in European football.
Juve president Pavel Nedved and sporting director Fabio Paratici have already reached an agreement with the player’s agent, Mino Raiola, which will see the young Dutch defender earn 12 million euros per year over five seasons in Turin.
Raiola has also managed to negotiate a buyout clause of 150 million euros – a figure which, in today’s market, is not so restrictive as to rule out a club like Real Madrid, PSG or Barcelona coming into buy him in the future should he decide to cut short his stay at the Juventus Stadium.
Juventus directors fly to Amsterdam to close deal with Ajax
With the player and his agent reportedly having agreed terms with Juventus, the Serie A club’s top brass have travelled to Amsterdam to close a deal with Ajax and will sign the player for a fee in the region of 70 and 80 million euros, according to Italian daily La Stampa.
De Ligt to become world’s third most expensive defender
The expected transfer fee will see the 19-year-old become the third most expensive defender in the world, only surpassed by Lucas Hernandez, who signed for Bayern Munich from Atlético Madrid for 80 million euros in March, and Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk.
De Ligt will, however, become the most expensive defender in Italian football, a record currently held by Leonardo Bonucci, who joined Juve from AC Milan for 42 million euros in 2017.