Matthijs de Ligt: Juventus complete £67.7m signing of Ajax captain set to become most expensive defender of all time

Netherlands defender agrees move to Italian champions for deal that could reach more than £77m and surpass the £75m record of his international colleague Virgil van Dijk

Juventus have confirmed the signing of Netherlands centre-back Matthijs de Ligt on a five-year deal from Ajax, in a move worth up to £77.1m to make him the most expensive defender of all time.

The reigning Italian league champions announced the completed deal on Thursday morning, with the 19-year-old one of the most sought-after players in the summer transfer window after a season in which he helped Ajax to the Champions League semi-finals, the Eredivisie title and the Netherlands to the Nations League final.

In a club statement, Juventus confirmed that they have agreed an initial €75m (£67.7m) fee with Dutch side Ajax, plus an additional €10.5m (£9.4m) in add-ons, which if all activated would make him the most expensive defender of all-time, surpassing the £75m Liverpool paid Southampton for Virgil van Dijk. Only Lucas Hernandez, who joined Bayern Munich from Atletico Madrid this summer for €80m, has cost more than De Ligt’s current fee along with Van Dijk.

“Juventus Football Club announces the official signing of Matthijs de Ligt from AFC Ajax, having penned in contact with the Italian champions until 2024,” a club statement read.

“Juventus can announce that the agreement with Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax NV for the definitive acquisition of the registration rights of the player Matthijs de Ligt has been reached for a consideration of €75m, payable in five financial years, and additional costs of €10.5m.

“Juventus and the player have signed a five-year contract of employment until 30 June 2024.”

At the weekend Leiderdorp-born De Ligt was left out of Ajax's squad for their summer tour to Austria pending a transfer and he arrived in Turin on Wednesday to undergo a medical at Juve's headquarters.

Earlier in the summer the Netherlands international was expected to join Barcelona, who have signed his former Ajax team-mate Frenkie De Jong, while Premier League club United and Paris Saint-Germain had reportedly been interested in securing his services.

De Ligt joins Cristian Romero, Luca Pellegrini, Aaron Ramsey, Adrien Rabiot and Merih Demiral as a new signing at Juve, with recently-appointed head coach Maurizio Sarri also bringing veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon back to Turin ahead of a bid for a ninth consecutive league title for the Bianconeri.