The transfer of Matthijs De Ligt from Juventus to Bayern Munich materialized relatively quickly, but the parties had been preparing it for a couple of months. The defender voiced his satisfaction for his €67M move to Bavaria.
His agent Rafaela Pimenta spoke to Radiosei.
“We have been working on the deal since the spring. We could have pulled it off only if all the components were happy. And that is what happened.”
The defender revealed that the Bundesliga giants started pursuing him before he joined Juventus in an interview with Bild.
“The contacts with them have been continuous since 2019. I feel a connection with the German mentality, which is based on hard work and discipline. I am happy to be here. Some Dutch stars such as Arjen Robben and Mark Van Bommel spoke very highly of this team. Coach Louis Van Gaal assured me that I would quickly fall in love with it. He backed especially their philosophy.”
De Ligt disclosed what tipped the scale in favor of Bayern Munich amid the interest from Chelsea.
“The fact that their whole management proved that they strongly wanted him from the get-go impressed me. I sensed we were a right fit.”
The center-back threw some veiled shade at Massimiliano Allegri.
“Julian Nagelsmann demonstrated to be capable of grooming youngsters. His offensive style is perfect for me and it is the reason that led me to move to Munich. They play technical and aggressive football with extreme pressing. I like that a lot.”