Meet the 22-year-old Dutch international center back set to begin a new journey in Germany with the 32-time Bundesliga champions.
After much haggling back and forth, German champions Bayern Munich have agreed on a fee to purchase center back Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus. With his contract scheduled to expire in 2024, De Ligt ultimately elected to leave the Serie A club after extension talks failed that would keep the Dutch international defender in zebra stripes.
News of the transfer agreement comes just days after iconic Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski was unveiled as the newest center forward at Barcelona.
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The Bundesliga giants initially prepared a bid of approximately $70.76 to sign the 22-year-old. Juve quickly slammed that door shut, with ESPN reporting that the Bianconeri were demanding a total transfer fee of over $90 million just to open the conversation.
Somehow, a deal still managed to get done.
Insider Fabrizio Romano has reported that Bayern reached a verbal agreement with Juve to send De Light to Bavaria for a package worth €70 million (about $71.5 million), plus an extra €10 million in add-ons. Although it’s not the full pile of cash the Italian titans were first hoping to rake in, it appears to be the only way they could ensure that De Ligt wouldn’t walk away for free in two years once he’s out of contract.
Having already acquired Liverpool forward Sadio Mane, Bayern has worked hard to ensure that any quality that leaves Allianz Arena is quickly replenished to preserve the prestigious club’s incredible run of 10 straight Bundesliga titles intact.
With that in mind, let’s plunge into Bayern’s plans for De Ligt to retain its status as one of the best clubs in the world.
Matthijs de Ligt Contract & Transfer Details
Contract length and transfer fee as noted by SkySport. Wages are yet to be reported.
Contract length: 5 years
Expected weekly wages: Not reported
Expected annual wages: Not reported
Free agency: 2027
Base transfer fee: $71,546,000 (€70,000,000)
Maximum transfer fee: $81,767,000 (€80,000,000)
Estimated market value: $77,000,000 (via Transfermarkt)
Matthijs de Ligt’s Stats Per 90 Minutes
| Category | Stats Per 90 | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 0.08 | 78 |
| Shots On Target | 0.27 | 93 |
| Pass Completion % | 89.5% | 80 |
| Long Range Pass % | 76.2% | 78 |
| Successful Pressure % | 41.5% | 92 |
| Aerial Duels Won | 3.57 | 83 |
How De Ligt Fits in at Bayern Munich
Sadio Mane, despite not being a traditional No. 9 like Lewandowski, is a lethal and efficient attacking option. The club additionally purchased 20-year-old Dutch international Ryan Gravenberch from Ajax to inject some youth into the equation.
De Ligt notably checks boxes regarding both youth and quality — at 22 years old, he’s already widely recognized as being in the neighborhood of the top 15 center backs in the world. He has size and aerial ability at 6-foot-2, and as he enters his prime years, he stands to grow into his physicality more and more.
Last season, Bayern spent 70.21% of their fixtures in a 4-2-3-1 formation. De Ligt is familiar with playing out of a back four, as he came to own the right center back position for both Juventus and the Dutch national team. However, either De Light or emerging young talent Dayot Upamecano will have to slide to the left if the club intends to play both men together.
Bayern continues fine-tuning their squad with a mixture of proven championship pedigree and up-and-coming talent. Signing De Ligt gives them an option to anchor their backline at the Allianz Stadium for years to come, which is precisely what they’ll need to keep their impressive, trophy-laden run alive.
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