Lothar Matthaus believes Matthijs de Ligt could be a critical long-term signing for Bayern Munich, and a defensive base they could build their squad around.
The 22-year-old s departure after an indifferent spell at Juventus, after signing in 2019 from Ajax, has prompted him to seek a move away with no apparent harm to his market value.
Though De Ligt had been linked with a transfer to Chelsea earlier in the off-season, reports in Germany have suggested the Netherlands international is more keen on a move to the Bundesliga.
Matthaus, the Ballon d Or and World Cup winner in 1990, insisted De Ligt would be a transformative signing for his former club.
He s a van Dijk type, Matthaus told Bild. He can take on the role of defence chief at Bayern, which is missing there.
He s one of the best central defenders in Europe, and at 22 he s such a young player that Bayern could have done with that position for the next few years. A super transfer if it works – a huge gain.
Good to have them back
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN)
Former Schalke boss and De Ligt s compatriot Huub Stevens echoed Matthaus sentiments, believing the centre-back has progressed despite an inconsistent time in Turin.
The 68-year-old also noted De Ligt would be a compatible signing within Julian Nagelsmann s aggressive system, making the reported €70million price tag reasonable.
Just as I saw De Ligt play at Ajax Amsterdam back then, he learned a lot defensively at Juventus, Stevens said.
He fits the style of Bayern, he has to defend up the pitch. He was already great at Ajax, he s a playing defender. The fee is, of course, crazy, but you can see in England that such sums are normal for defenders there.
