Lothar Matthäus compares Bayern Munich target Matthias de Ligt to Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk

Bayern Munich have had an exciting transfer window so far, with the signings of Noussair Mazraoui and Ryan Gravenberch from Ajax and Sadio Mané from Liverpool, but this transfer window is about to get even more exciting!

The pursuit of Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus is certainly a big transfer, and this is reflected in the numbers behind it. Juventus have a hefty price tag of nearly €100 million placed on the Dutchman and Chelsea FC look more likely to comply than Bayern but the player has given his word: he only wants a move to Munich.

In an interview with Sport Bild, Lothar Matthäus has expressed his admiration for de Ligt, citing his qualities as a defender and as a leader. “He’s a Van Dijk type, can take on the role of defense 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.”

Fellow Dutchman and ex-Werder Bremen, Stuttgart and Ajax player Frank Verlaat, disagrees with Matthäus, on the comparison with Van Dijk. “de Ligt was very good at Ajax, but it was a good fit for the whole team. In the Dutch national team he is not a regular player at the moment. But there’s no question that he’s good. But I’m not sure if he’s a leader in the game like Van Dijk, for example.”

Ex-Hertha Berlin defender Dick van Burik, who has known de Ligt since his days in the Ajax youth team has praised his drive, calling him an incredible player. He also stated that de Ligt’s transfer would be huge for the Bundesliga, mentioning his high level of experience in having played big games with Ajax, Juventus and the Dutch National Team.

“He has so much potential, the boy has everything! A great character, speed, he’s physically very strong, he’s great on the ball. He’s still such a young guy. I think he would fit in very well with Bayern. He is down to earth and ambitious”, Van Burik said, praising the Juventus defender.

Former Schalke and HSV coach Huub Stevens, speaks on the progress de Ligt has made over the years. He also believes that de Ligt fits Bayern’s tactical philosophy, remarking that he is the kind of player to defend up-front. On the huge fee that Juventus have placed, Stevens said, “The fee is of course crazy, but you can see in England that such sums are normal for defenders there.”