Matthijs de Ligt, Juventus Agree to $84.3 Million Transfer

At only 19 years old, the young center back debuted for Ajax back in 2016 and played in 117 matches, including a win over his new employer in the quarterfinals of last season's Champions League.

Juventus has signed Ajax star Matthijs de Ligt for an $84.3 million transfer, the team announced Thursday.

The deal is worth €75 million ($84.3 million), making it the fourth most expensive deal of the summer so far. Per the statement, the transfer fee is payable over five years with potential additional costs of $11.2 million.

"It's the news all Bianconeri fans have been waiting to hear all summer: Matthijs de Ligt is officially a Juventus player!" the club said on its website.

De Ligt, one of the world's top young talents, arrived in Turin to complete his move to the Serie A champions on Tuesday after the team met his release clause. The 19-year-old had also been linked with Manchester United, Barcelona and Paris-St Germain.

The young star made his debut in 2016, scoring eight goals in 77 league appearances for the Amsterdam club after joining when he was just nine. He became the club's youngest team captain in March 2018.

De Ligt has won the Eredivisie and Dutch Cup and was a Europa League finalist in 2017. He led Ajax to the Champions League semi-finals last season by scoring the winning goal against Juventus before falling to Tottenham.

He also debuted for the Dutch national team alongside Virgil van Dijk in March 2017.