Matthijs de Ligt says great Italian defenders of the past inspired him to make the move to Juventus .
The Dutchman was the subject of an intense transfer battle with Manchester United , Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain all seriously interested in signing the Ajax star.
But he has now completed a big-money move to the Serie A giants for a fee of around £67.5m, with the deal officially confirmed on Thursday.
De Ligt has now spoken for the first time since his huge move, outlining the reasons behind his choice in an interview with Ajax's official website after departing his boyhood club.
"I have been fascinated by the Italian way of defending from an early age," the 19-year-old Ajax's official website.
"Many of my idols from the past are also Italians. Such as [Paolo] Maldini, [Franco] Baresi, [Alessandro] Nesta, [Fabio] Cannavaro and [Gaetano] Scirea.
"When you talk about defenders, then you soon talk about those names.
"I actually fell in love with the Italian way of defending and I made a choice based on that."
De Ligt also revealed the "trust" of Juventus and the chance to play regularly was also a key contributory factor in his decision.
He added: "It was a difficult decision. I had several options and you always have to see which one is the best.
"There are a lot of factors involved. It's important to know how much I'll play and how much the club trusts me, that's why I picked Juventus because they told me they really wanted me.
"I will miss everyone in Amsterdam, but I had to take a step forward."
