Matthijs de Ligt is set to undergo a Juventus medical on Wednesday to finalise his £67.5m move from Ajax.
The 20-year-old has been in-demand, but the Serie A giants appear to have finally won the race to sign the Dutch defender after fending off competition from Barcelona , Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United .
They may well have Cristiano Ronaldo to thank, after the Portuguese superstar played a crucial role in persuading the youngster to head to Turin and become his team-mate.
De Ligt opened up on the words Ronaldo had for him after their Nations League loss to Portugal last month.
(Image: Lars Baron)
“I didn’t understand him at first,” De Ligt told NOS .
“I was a little shocked, so I laughed, but I didn’t say anything.
“Shortly after the game you are not at all concerned with it, you are disappointed you have lost and that is the only thing you are thinking about.”
Whilst the defender insisted his attempts to convince him to join Juventus had little impact at the time, it seems to have proved a turning point in negotiations.
(Image: Sky Sports)
At that stage, Barcelona and PSG were both firmly in the race, before Juventus pulled clear and convinced him to agree a big-money contract believed to be worth around £12m per year before agreeing a fee with Ajax this week.
De Ligt has been quoted as discussing Ronaldo being his first idol as a child, a factor which could well have influenced his decision to join him as team-mates in Turin.
(Image: Lars Baron)
“I always wanted to be Cristiano Ronaldo when [my friends and I] were playing football in the garden,” De Ligt told VI in May.
“That was especially in his time when he played at Manchester United.
“My first football shirt also belonged to him from that time.”
(Image: Getty Images)
It has also been reported that De Ligt’s first thoughts of playing for Juventus came when he saw the standing ovation Ronaldo was given after his Real Madrid heroics as an opposition player in the Champions League in 2017.
Whilst money was clearly a key factor as with any transfer, the role of Ronaldo appears to be apparent in De Ligt’s move as the duo prepare to be team-mates as part of a new era for Juventus under Maurizio Sarri.
