Matthijs de Ligt Arrives in Turin Ahead of Juventus Transfer: 'Happy to Be Here'

Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt landed in Italy on Tuesday ahead of his anticipated transfer to Serie A giants Juventus.

The Bianconeri announced his arrival in Turin with a series of videos:

According to Football Italia, Juventus are paying €75 million for the Netherlands defender. The 19-year-old is expected to complete his medical on Wednesday and could still join the squad on their pre-season tour of Asia. The Italian champions will fly out on Friday.

The De Ligt signing will complete a defensive rejuvenation the Bianconeri sorely needed. After saying goodbye to veteran star Andrea Barzagli in the summer, they have replaced the 38-year-old with three rising stars aged 21 or less.

Cristian Romero will spend the 2019-20 season on loan at Genoa, and Merih Demiral is likely to sit and learn from Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci. De Ligt, the youngest of the bunch, will most likely see most playing time and could well be in line to start next to Chiellini before long.

Sports writer Matteo Bonetti thinks the future of the team's defence is bright:

Even though he's yet to turn 20, De Ligt already has bags of experience, playing international football for the Oranje and captaining Ajax last season. He's the complete package as a defender, combining physical strength and solid vision with technique and passing ability.

The Bianconeri have built their team around their strong defensive unit for years now, and in the likes of Chiellini and Bonucci, De Ligt will have two world-class players to learn from in the foreseeable future.