Juventus CB Matthijs de Ligt
Consider Matthijs de Ligt to be the “pipe dream” option of these five players. Juventus are an ambitious club, as evidenced by their decision to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid in the first place, and they have designs on being the biggest club in the world. De Ligt is central to those plans, hence why they spent at least 70 million euros on the former Ajax star.
A leader and one of the most physical defenders in the game, De Ligt’s pace, strength, and quality on the ball check off all the boxes. He has more lapses in judgment than either Militao or Upamecano defensively, but de Ligt is also big-game tested and accelerating in his growth.
Just 21, de Ligt has as much long-term upside as Upamecano, and it is scary what he is capable of. Run at Ajax aside, de Ligt had a good first season in the tough Serie. The Dutch defender needed an adjustment period, but by the end of the season, he was by far Juve’s best defender and is far and away better than his partner Leonardo Bonucci despite the latter’s experience.
De Ligt would probably cost too much money for Real Madrid, but he is a player to keep in mind down-the-road, perhaps in two or three transfer windows when he nears his prime. If Juventus fall short of their lofty expectations by making more haphazard signings with bloated wages attached, then don’t be surprised if Mino Raiola decides to push de Lig to a more stable club.