The German club is one of the biggest teams in Europe and its financial power gives them the opportunity to sign a couple of superstars on every transfer window. As they have included Sadio Mane this summer, Bayern Munich is now trying to improve its defense by stealing Matthijs de Light from Juventus.

According to Fabrizio Romano, a verbal agreement has been reached between FC Bayern and Juventus for the former Ajax player. The journalist stablishes that the financial bid has been accepted and this week should be announced the transfer to include him for the preseason as soon as possible.

Matthijs de Ligtre-enters the all-time most expensive defenders list

FC Bayern offered €80 million for the services of Matthijs de Light which have been accepted by Juventus. With Niklas Sule’s departure to Borussia Dortmund, the 2019-20 Champions League winners needed a defender and they found it in the 22 year-old.

This signing means the second time a club pays more than€80 million for Matthijs de Ligt. Juventus, his former team, put€85,5 million on the table in 2019 to move the Dutch defender from Ajax to Italy, but he did not have the best time at Turin and when an offer came for him, the Vecchia Signora did not hesitate to accept it.

In the top-10 list of most expensive defenders of all-time, Manchester United, and now FC Bayern, appear each one twice. The Red Devils are the leaders in this countdown with Harry McGuire’s transfer from Leicester City in 2019 when they payed€87 million for the Foxes player.

Also in the Premier League, Manchester City is listed as one of the teams that most invest in defenders. They have spent a grand total of€188,6 million in three center-backs (Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte and John Stones). Now, Bayern Munich is close on the list to the Citizens with€160 million, as they signed Lucas Hernandez from Atletico de Madrid in 2019 for the same amount as the one for Matthijs de Ligt this summer.

The Serie A giantsreportedly need to cash in and de Ligt, who is still a valuable player given his youth, might help them raise some funds. His €120 million ($135m)release clause, however, has haunted a number of clubs.

And that will only become worse next summer when it increases to €140m ($158m). However, Spanish outlet Sport claims there’s anotherclause in that deal in case Barcelona want to sign de Ligt, which would see them sign him for much less.

Report: de Ligt has a special clause in his Juventus contract for a potential Barcelona interest

Albert Masnou of Sport reports that when de Ligt signed for Juventus, his agent Mino Raiola reached an agreement with the Italian club to include a special €75 million ($84m)release clause for Barcelona.

The La Liga giants have already shown interest in de Ligt before he moved to Turin in 2019, when the Cules had to choose between him or Frenkie de Jong as they couldn’t afford both of them.

And they were linked with him again over the last few months, as Barca manager Xavi Hernandez is facing rebuild at Camp Nou. But the club isstill battling with a financial crisis and €75m might be too expensive anyway. Besides, the report adds that de Ligt makes €8 million ($9m) per season, whileBarcelona are trying to reduce their wage bill.

Chelsea at the moment have only given up one goal this season a penalty kick against Liverpool and have kept 5 clean sheets, but still their three-man backline defenders, Andreas Christensen, Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger are all free agents come June and it’s unlikely the club will retain them all.

So, the Chelsea board is not wasting any time and are preparing to line up an offer for a £103 million Serie A defender. Who is that defender and what are his chances of joining Chelsea? Find out below.

Matthijs de Ligt to Chelsea

According to Calciomercato, Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt is Chelsea’s main defensive target for next season. de Ligt has played 60 times for Juventus and has scored 6 goals. Matthijs de Ligt is considered one of the best defensive prospects in the world and has been the subject of various transfer rumors throughout the year.

The Netherlands defender has a £103 million release clause but that would not phase big spending Chelsea as he is their top defensive target. Matthijs de Ligt has been capped 31 times and has 2 goals and has won 4 titles at the club level.

According to Transfermarkt the following XI are the most expensive players at their positions based on age and market value. There are some glaring omissions such as Erling Haaland, Thiago Alcantara, and Bruno Fernandes.

The total value of this starting XI is €1.01 billion! Many of these players will eventually be sold to other clubs in the future and for a lot higher than their market value indicates. Here is the most expensive XI in World Soccer!

Jan Oblak – Goalkeeper – €70 million

Journeyman and now Atlético Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak has been with the Spanish side since 2014 and has played in over 200 matches. Oblak was the La Liga Player of the Season in 2020/21, having won the La Liga title and kept 18 clean sheets in 38 matches, with an 80% save rate for the season.

Trent Alexander-Arnold – Right Back – €75 million

Fast paced and capable 22-year-old right back Trent Alexander-Arnold has been a rock for Liverpool and now England. Alexander-Arnold at his young age has played over 100 games for Liverpool, winning 4 titles.

Matthijs de Ligt – Defender – €75 million

Matthijs de Ligt is only 22 but already is a veteran of the game, having played for Ajax and now at Juventus. de Ligt has won 5 titles in his career and is the subject of various transfer rumors.

Marquinhos – Defender – €75 million

PSG’s rock in defense, Brazilian Marquinhos has been with the club since 2013 and has over 200 appearances for the French Super Club. A leader and the balance of his club’s capable attack, Marquinhos is as slick as they come.

Alphonso Davies – Left Back – €70 million

When Alphonso Davies was moved to left back upon his arrival at Bayern Munich it raised many eyebrows, but the people at Bayern knew what they were doing. Davies has transformed into the best left back in the world. Speed, power, crossing, dribbling, the Canadian player is the best export from Concacaf at the moment.

Joshua Kimmich – Midfielder – €90 million

Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich is the balance of defense in an offensive midfield, known as a Swiss army knife for his versatility, Kimmich can win the ball in the middle like no other in the world. Kimmich has already won 17 titles since joining Bayern.

Frenkie de Jong – Midfielder – €90 million

Frenkie de Jong can do it all, he can play defense, go at it in attack, and he loves to have the ball at his feet. A workhorse for both Barcelona and the Netherlands,de Jong will be one of the pillars Barcelona will rely on in a world post Messi.

Kevin De Bruyne – Midfielder – €100 million

One of the world’s best midfielders, Kevin De Bruyne is elegant, has perfect vision, and can finish. The Belgium and Manchester City player is a leader for both club and country and is one of the most expensive players on the market.

Jadon Sancho – Attacker – €100 million

Jadon Sancho has recently made a huge money move to Manchester United, a lot will be expected from the 21-year-old English international. Sancho came on to the scene at Borussia Dortmund and is known for his speed, creativity and taking on opponents 1 v 1.

Neymar – Attacker – €100 million

€100 million for Neymar does not sound right. Neymar has been nothing short of brilliant in his career, he may be eclipsed by other names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, or Erling Haaland, but make no mistake Neymar is one of the best in the world. Neymar has won championships and scored some spectacular goals for every team he has played for and Brazil as well.

Kylian Mbappé – Striker – €160 million

Kylian Mbappé is simply electric, one the world’s most exciting young players the 22-year-old French World Cup winner is an excellent dribbler, finisher, has great speed, and tears up opponents 1 v 1. Along with Erling Haaland, they are the two biggest soccer talents in a post Messi and Ronaldo world.

Matthijs de Ligt has struggled with injuries and has been in and out of the Juventus lineup, despite that he still managed to play 26 games this season and 29 the year before. According to a Catalan radio station, de Ligt has stated he is unhappy at Juventus and is considering a move to Spain.

The radio station indicated that the club looking to sign the Netherlands defender is none other than Barcelona. Here is what would need to happen in order for Matthijs de Ligt to sign with Barcelona.

Report: Matthijs de Ligt to Barcelona

Barcelona’s economic woes are well known the world over, and with Matthijs de Ligt having three more years on his Juventus contract the chances that Barca pays the transfer fee seems very remote.

Matthijs de Ligt on the other hand is reported to have spoken to Netherland’s teammate Frenkie de Jong about a move to Barcelona. de Jong would lobby for de Ligt to get through the door at Barcelona.

While a transfer looks slim, a loan or even a player swap could be in the cards, Barcelona and Juventus have done “trades” before, although Barcelona could lose a key player for the swap to make any sense.

With Ronald Koeman’s future in doubt and Messi’s contract looming, don’t count on Barcelona making any significant moves without those key pieces in place. As for Juventus, the Turin club is also foggy as to what their future will hold as Andrea Pirlo’s future is also in doubt.

In the meantime, Matthijs de Ligt is in the preliminary squad for the Netherlands to play in the Euro’s. A good showing may open the doors to a move out of Turin or change his fortunes at Juventus looking ahead to next season.

Being crowned in the Spanish first division would be a great way for the Cules to finish their first season under the Dutch manager, and it may also heal the wounds for all the ups and downs theyhave suffered so far. Following some poor months in which claiming silverware seemed very unlikely, if they end up collecting two titles, satisfaction would be huge.

Nevertheless, the Catalans will be expected to do better in the future. Underspecial circumstancesthis season, in which Lionel Messi was about to leave, after a certain squad restructuration by releasing big names and with the arrival of a new coach, it was accepted that the year would be tough. However, from now on Barca will have no excuses. Joan Laporta knows it and that’s whybig names are being liked with the club.

Juventus’ young star calls the attention of Barcelona

Among the positions where Barca would need improvement, the defense is without a doubt the first place to take care of. Many of the Blaugranas‘ problems in recent years happenedat the back, and the continuous mistakes proved that it wasn’t a matter of time or practice. A new player was needed for that position.

According to Sport, Barcelona are very interested in Juventus and Netherlands center-backMatthijs de Ligt. The Dutch earned worldwide recognition when performing for Ajax in an outstanding 2018/19 season where his team reached the UEFA Champions League semifinals. Following those breathtaking appearances, the Italian giants purchased him for about $94 million.

Despite his first season inSerie A didn’t turn out as expected, de Ligt earned a spot in the starting eleven and became a regular starter for the Vecchia Signora. The 21-year-old is probably one of the most promising players in his position, and according to TransferMartk, his market value is $82.50 million.

Koeman coached him when he was in charge of the Netherlands national team, and while the Blaugranas are also linked to a move for Eric García, the addition of the Juventus center-back would mean another great call for the long term.

With Gerard Piqué reaching the last years of his career and after current options such as Clement Lenglet or Samuel Umtiti have failed to convince, two young, talented options like García and de Ligt may providethe solution for many seasons to come. While the Manchester City player would be an easier choice as his contract expires in a few months, signing the Dutch could require a much higher economic effort. It won’t be easy,but there are reasons to believe de Ligt could be eager to play under Koeman once again and to be part of Barcelona’s reconstruction.