According to a report by Sport1’s Kerry Hau, FC Bayern Munich have reached a personal agreement with Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt. The 22-year-old Dutchman prefers a move to Germany to Chelsea and his salary shouldn’t be a barrier to a move. Currently, the main hurdle preventing the transfer is Juve’s astronomical asking price – a figure Bayern must somehow meet or reduce.
There’s a lot of information in Sport1’s report, so let’s break it down point by point:
- At Bayern Munich there is a firm verbal commitment from de Ligt on the subject of transfer. The Dutchman actually wanted to switch to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2019, but Ajax’s high asking price prevented the transfer.
- Hasan Salihamidzic has been in constant contact with De Ligt’s camp since the Ajax move failed, which impressed the player and contributed to his decision. The Dutchman has also been a Bayern fan from an early age and would have preferred to have moved to Munich in the summer of 2019, as Approved by Mino Raiola. The late agent even said that “it’s a shame” the talks didn’t work out.
- Bayern are unsure of Juventus’ current asking price but they currently have an advantage over Chelsea as the player prefers the German champions. Brazzo knows the Torino club, despite their previous relationship with Juventus, are trying to sell to the highest bidder and will not agree to any discounts.
- De Ligt’s salary shouldn’t be an impediment – the Dutchman isn’t aiming for a huge pay raise, just wanting to make the move he wanted to make in 2019.
- Julian Nagelsmann sees the 22-year-old as the chief of defense that FC Bayern Munich is looking for. Because of this, De Ligt is one of Bayern’s top targets for the summer window.
do you have all this Good. There’s a lot of information to absorb. Now let’s move on to some key talking points that aren’t in the Sport1 report.
Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images
speculation and analysis
De Ligt might want to join Bayern, but as we saw back in 2019, he’s not above going elsewhere if the money is better (or if the buying club pays a higher transfer fee). Even if his desire is to move to Munich this summer, Chelsea could still sign the Dutchman if they meet Juventus’ asking price first. Even if it’s his dream to play for FC Bayern one day, he’s young enough that that could still be an option in four or five years.
Now onto the other big question – what is Juventus’ asking price? The player has two years left on his contract, so his club has a lot of influence. Some reports in the German media point to a price range of between €60m and €80m, but news from Italy suggests that the Bianconeri are aiming for a fee in excess of €100m. Also, Juventus don’t want to accept player swaps so it seems unlikely that Benjamin Pavard will be included in the transfer to lower the price.
After strong performances in negotiations with Liverpool and Ajax this summer, Brazzo may have finally found his match. If Matthijs de Ligt comes to Munich in this transfer window, it will be for a huge fee – the Dutchman could become Bayern’s most expensive signing. Is he worth it?