De Ligt explains why he snubbed Barcelona, PSG ready to agree deal with Barcelona for Neymar and more: Transfer Roundup, 18 July 2019
Hello and welcome to Sportskeeda's Daily Transfer Roundup. Today, we have a huge update on the Neymar transfer saga and plenty of other exciting news as the dominos start to fall in the summer transfer window.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top transfer news, rumours and updates from today - 18 July 2019.
De Ligt explains why he snubbed Barcelona
When this summer transfer window started, De Ligt was reportedly close to joining Barcelona. However, several weeks later, he has now been officially unveiled as a Juventus player. Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona all remained in the hunt for him until the very end.
All 3 clubs were willing to match and even pay in excess of how much Juve were paying for De Ligt. But in the end, the young Dutchman decided for himself that Turin is the place to be. He has now explained his rationale behind making that decision.
"It was difficult. There were several options, but you always have to look what’s the best for you. Various factors play a role.
"For me it’s very important to know how much you are going to play and how much trust the club has in me. They also mentioned that they really wanted me. They saw a future for me and the they could improve me in certain areas."
"I have been fascinated by the Italian way of defending from an early age. Many of my idols from the past are also Italians. Such as [Paolo] Maldini, [Franco] Baresi, [Alessandro] Nesta, [Fabio] Cannavaro and [Gaetano] Scirea. When you talk about defenders, then you soon talk about those names.
"I actually fell in love with the Italian way of defending and I made a choice based on that."
Surely Cristiano Ronaldo going up and talking to him after the UEFA United Nations League might have had an effect but anyway, that's all settled now. While his countryman Frenkie De Jong will play alongside Lionel Messi, De Ligt will be playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.