Matthijs de Ligt to Juventus: The three biggest gainers from the deal
One of the longest transfer sagas of the pre-season finally come to an end as European football's current golden boy Matthijs de Ligt signed for Serie A champions Juventus for a record €75 million on Thursday.
The 19-year-old Dutch international had earlier expressed his desire to leave Ajax and was strongly linked with Barcelona before joining Juventus. The arrival of the teenager will immediately provide competition to the seasoned combination of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci in central defence while the teenager is also expected to become the future replacement for the ageing icon Chiellini.
Let's take a look at the three biggest gainers from this sensational deal.
#3 Serie A
The Bianconeri had already signed up Adrien Rabiot and Aaron Ramsey on a free but the arrival of Matthijs de Ligt is a big transfer for both the club and the league. The Dutchman had been linked with almost every other big club in Europe and was earmarked to join Barcelona.
Juventus could sign the Dutch international only after negotiations between the Catalan side and Mino Raiola broke down. This signing has once again propelled Serie A to the limelight. The Turin giants' capture of a young talent like De Ligt once again shows the ascent of the Italian league after years of mediocrity and controversies.
With the arrival of the Dutchman, this season in Serie A looks to be one of the best in recent times with Inter Milan and Napoli also buying big as they look to wrest the title from the Biaconeri.
The Nerazzurri has the most active of the two with Juventus legend Antonio Conte signing as the new manager for the Milan side and eight new players arriving at the San Siro.
Napoli has also been active in the market with Greek defender Kostas Manolas being the biggest signing so far. Carlo Ancellotti is now looking to link up with Colombian James Rodriguez once again as the Naples side inch closer to signing the player from Real Madrid.