Former Juventus coach Fabio Capello thinks the Bianconeri enjoyed the best transfer window of any Serie A club, but still believes they are not favourites to lift the Scudetto.

Juventus have claimed two wins and three draws during a solid if unspectacular start to the new season, and have faced criticism for their ponderous style of play under Massimiliano Allegri.

Their underwhelming performances have come in the aftermath of a window in which the Turin giants acquired Paul Pogba, Angel Di Maria, Gleison Bremer, Filip Kostic and Leandro Paredes.

Capello was impressed by their recruitment, particularly with the decision to replace Matthijs de Ligt with Bremer, but does not believe they will win their first title since 2019-20 this season.

Speaking to SportWeek, Capello said: "Looking at the names, Juventus were the winners. 

"They had a top summer with Di Maria, Pogba, Paredes, all champions that other teams don't have. Bremer is better than de Ligt on a defensive level. 

"Juve have invested in quality, catching up with Inter and Milan. Without the new players they're already among the top teams, while the others lost players."

However, when asked for his title favourites, Capello added: "It's still Inter, even though they lost [Ivan] Perisic and have [Romelu] Lukaku injured. The Belgian is the market coup of the summer. 

"Milan made an important effort for [Charles] De Ketelaere, whom I confess I don't know. 

"Napoli have replaced the departing players with good alternatives. Lazio will also be one to watch."

Juventus spent an estimated €105million during the transfer window, more than any other club in the Italian top-flight.

However, they have been beset by injury troubles in recent weeks, with a knee injury threatening to rule Pogba out of the upcoming World Cup and a thigh problem continuing to plague Di Maria.

Bayern Munich new boy Matthijs de Ligt is quickly adapting to life in Germany, as he hailed the mentality of the Bundesliga giants.

De Ligt, signed from Juventus in a €67million transfer prior to the season, started on Wednesday as Bayern went on to thrash lower-league Viktoria Koln 5-0.

Maiden Bayern goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Mathys Tel gave Julian Nagelsmann's team a 2-0 lead, before second-half strikes from Sadio Mane, Jamal Musiala and Leon Goretzka finished the rout.

And De Ligt believes a defining characteristic he has noticed since arriving in Munich is Bayern's ability to maintain focus in matches they could comfortably cruise through.

"Every game is difficult, even if you play against Viktoria Koln today with a lot of fans here," he said.

"It's always difficult, you have to be concentrated every minute, because you know if you're not concentrated you can get a goal against.

"You feel immediately when you come here – it was the same with Ajax and Juventus – you feel that they want to win, and they want to win big.

"They want to be concentrated at every second, and that for me is really important, and can make me a better player."

When asked why he believes Bayern's new recruits have hit the ground running, De Ligt said: "Yeah, because I think we have a lot of good players, and it's really clear for everybody, also the new guys, how to play. 

"You see the new guys today – Mathys scored a goal, I think Ryan made a goal, and Sadio has already scored a lot of goals.

"I think we're all adapting well, and obviously the help of the team-mates is really important."

Matthijs de Ligt hailed Bayern Munich for their "unbelievable" performance against Bochum but admitted he wants to be playing more for the team.

The Netherlands international started for the first time in Bayern's dominant 7-0 win on the road, opening his account for the club with Bayern's second goal.

Signed from Juventus, De Ligt came off the bench in the German Super Cup victory against RB Leipzig and in the opening Bundesliga game of the season, with early opportunities limited as he entered the weekend with just eight minutes of league football.

De Ligt got his chance on Sunday and capped off his display with a goal in Bayern's rout, before later making it clear he wants to be starting more games – though he acknowledged the fierce competition he faces.

"It's unbelievable, we scored five goals in the first half. It was important that we kept our focus throughout the game," he said. "I'm very happy to have scored my first goal. We need to carry on this way.

"Of course every player always wants to play. But I understood the situation. I came here as a new player from Juventus and [Dayot] Upamecano and [Theo] Hernandez played well. But of course I want to play."

Julian Nagelsmann was pleased by the performance of his new defensive acquisition and praised the display of the back-line, who have conceded just once in the opening three fixtures.

"[De Ligt] got the news early that he was going to play. With the injury on his hand, it was difficult for him but he played well," Nagelsmann said.

"In the first half, two or three times he left his position a bit too early, so there was a chance for Bochum – he pulled away a bit too easy sometimes.

"Overall, he played well. It's always great for a defence, who were criticised last year, to finish a game without any goals against, a clean sheet.

"I think our defensive midfield was very strong today as well. Sometimes last year, we played a little bit too much, were a little bit too complicated. We're happy that we had a clean sheet."

Bayern Munich maintained their 100 per cent start to the Bundesliga season after sweeping aside 7-0 Bochum on Sunday, scoring at least six goals for the second away match in a row.

The defending champions were ruthless in the first half with Leroy Sane, Matthijs de Ligt, Kingsley Coman and Sadio Mane striking to put the visitors in control.

Mane struck again from the spot in the second half, with substitute Serge Gnabry also getting in on the act after Christian Gamboa had put the ball into his own net.

Bayern wasted no time in breaking the deadlock, Sane and Coman combining in a fine passing move before the former curled past Manuel Riemann with just four minutes on the clock.

Some shaky defending provided encouragement for Bochum but the lead was doubled by De Ligt, heading home Joshua Kimmich's corner after Riemann misjudged the delivery.

Further mistakes from the hosts compounded their misery, Gamboa's header back at goal pounced upon by Thomas Muller and Coman tucking home the rebound after Riemann's save.

Mane saw an effort chalked off for handball but it mattered little as the former Liverpool star made sure immediately after, latching onto Coman's pass and cutting back before striking home.

Bayern added further gloss to the score after the break, Mane smashing home from the spot after Coman won a penalty – taking his tally for the season to three goals in three games.

Things soon got worse, Gnabry's pass poked beyond his own keeper by Gamboa before the Germany international smashed home off the post to take the tally to seven.

Matthijs de Ligt insists he did not "attack" Juventus when pointing out the club had underperformed, although he feels he will be better suited to playing for Bayern Munich.

De Ligt left Juve for Bayern ahead of the 2022-23 season, having widely been seen as failing to fulfil his potential in three years in Turin.

The Netherlands centre-back was outstanding in Ajax's run to the 2018-19 Champions League semi-finals, earning a move to Juve, where he faced a battle for his place.

De Ligt started fewer than 30 Serie A matches in each of his three seasons with the Bianconeri.

There was some backlash then when De Ligt, discussing the possibility of a transfer in June, criticised Juve's back-to-back fourth-placed finishes.

Speaking to De Telegraaf on Saturday, De Ligt explained: "In an interview with NOS in June, I said that – as the club itself thinks – to be fourth tw‪ice in a row with Juventus is not good enough.

"That was not an attack on Juventus. Not at all, because I will always have the utmost respect for this club.

"For me, it was just a fact that no one could be satisfied, that the bar had to be raised, including for me. Maybe it came across incorrectly."

De Ligt added he would "never forget" the help he received from his Juve team-mates in his "development as a footballer and as a person".

However, he likened the style of play in Serie A to chess, saying it is "much more tactical".

Now, De Ligt believes both he and Louis van Gaal's Netherlands team can benefit from his move to Bayern, where the approach is more in line with that he learned at Ajax.

"I am very happy that I was able to experience that [at Juve], that I was able to play that way, because I have learned a lot," he said.

"The reason for going to Juventus was also to become a better defender, even though there were differences with the Dutch national team.

"At Juventus, I often had to stay in the position, while at certain times I was required to go [forward] with the Oranje.

"At Bayern, I want to get my Ajax game back again.

"[Bayern coach Julian] Nagelsmann's playing style is much closer to what Louis van Gaal asks of his defenders: defending high, putting high pressure, connecting well and playing forward a lot.

"I think it's a move that can be good for the Dutch national team and my chances, but I did discuss the transfer with [Van Gaal]. He said he had a great time here."

The 2022-23 season is right around the corner, with plenty to keep an eye on across Europe.

Title battles in England, Spain and Italy could be too close to call, while France and Germany will see rivals trying to knock Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich off their respective perches – while there is even more set to occur in the fight for European qualification and to avoid the drop.

Central to these battles will be the players, both new signings and established members of the old guard, and here are 10 to watch in the year ahead.

 

Ousmane Dembele – Barcelona

Previously considered to be one of the biggest pieces of evidence on Barcelona's transfer failings in recent years, Dembele turned a corner in the second half of last season to finish the campaign as one of Xavi's most important players.

Dembele finished with 13 assists in LaLiga last term, the most in the competition, 11 of which came in the final 15 games of the season – with the tally being more in that run from February than he accumulated across all competitions combined in the previous two seasons.

Handed a fresh new contract, all eyes will be on Dembele to see whether he is back to his best or whether the former Borussia Dortmund winger, who now has Raphinha for competition, merely had a purple patch.

 

Matthijs de Ligt – Bayern Munich

It has now been three years since De Ligt shone with the Ajax side that reached the Champions League semi-finals, where his performances made him one of the most coveted players in world football.

Stability was never quite found at Juventus, however, with shoulder injuries hampering his progress and the defender himself admitting the style was a "bit different" in Turin to what he experienced with Ajax.

Now at Bayern, De Ligt will look to return to the heights he was once at and is expected to form an exciting partnership with Dayot Upamecano.

Rafael Leao – Milan

In Milan's title-winning campaign last term, Leao was the team's joint-leading scorer in Serie A with 11 goals, alongside Olivier Giroud, but that was way off the pace in the overall charts as 15 players found the net more times.

Milan's total tally for goals in 2021-22 was 69, less than three of their rivals in the top five, and pressure is on Stefano Pioli's side to improve that return – with the signing of Divock Origi showing the desire to improve their return in the final third, with rivals Inter having strengthened by bringing Romelu Lukaku back to San Siro on loan.

It may all fall upon Leao, however, with the 23-year-old needing to show consistency in order to prove a significant venture into the market next year to replace veterans Giroud and Zlatan Ibrahimovic is not required.

 

Djed Spence – Tottenham

Middlesbrough will likely wonder what might had been if they retained Spence's services, having loaned him to Championship rivals Nottingham Forest and seeing him play a key part in their promotion back to the big time.

From September, the only two games Spence missed during Forest's league campaign were the two clashes with his parent club and his displays, including those in the FA Cup against the likes of Arsenal, made him hot property.

Spurs ultimately signed the England U21 international, who could be a contender to break into Gareth Southgate's World Cup squad if he quickly finds his feet in north London. He is a right-back, after all...

Darwin Nunez – Liverpool

Liverpool's prowess in the transfer market is facing its biggest test under Jurgen Klopp, who is looking to rejuvenate what has been a brilliant attacking trio with Sadio Mane moving on and Roberto Firmino's future uncertain.

Having signed Luis Diaz in January, the Reds raided a Portuguese giant again – this time Benfica – for Nunez.

Nunez scored six Champions League goals in the 2021-22 season and plundered a further 26 in the league, averaging a goal every 76 minutes. Nunez certainly has the capability to fill Klopp's Mane-shaped void, even if his style is slightly different to the Senegal attacker.

 

Matteo Guendouzi – Marseille

Swiftly breaking onto the scene at Arsenal but just as quickly earning himself a bad-boy reputation, Guendouzi flourished in his loan spell with Marseille last season and has now made the switch permanent.

The France international featured in every game for Marseille in the 2021-22 season, starting in 35 of his 38 Ligue 1 appearances, and forced his way back into contention to make Didier Deschamps' squad on a regular basis ahead of Les Bleus' World Cup defence in Qatar.

Guendouzi's growing maturity saw him captain Marseille in a 2-0 defeat against Lille last season and the forthcoming campaign may continue his redemption arc.

Adam Hlozek – Bayer Leverkusen

A name that will be familiar to Football Manager enthusiasts, Hlozek has earned his big move to one of Europe's top leagues after leaving Sparta Prague in his homeland for Bayer Leverkusen and the challenges of the Bundesliga.

Capable of playing across the front line, Hlozek heads to Germany with a stellar record of 29 goals and 30 assists in 91 league appearances in the top-tier in the Czech Republic.

Add in the 24 goals that compatriot Patrik Schick netted for Leverkusen last season along with the creativity of Florian Wirtz from midfield and the result is one that could be extremely exciting.

Vinicius Junior – Real Madrid

A formidable season for Vinicius saw the Brazilian net 17 goals and contribute 10 assists during Real Madrid's La Liga title-winning campaign, only being outscored by team-mate Karim Benzema in the league.

Benzema, who was one of only two players to get more assists than Vinicius last season, is now in the twilight years of his career and will soon surely hand the mantle to the next star forward at the Santiago Bernabeu – with Vinicius near-certain to be that man now Kylian Mbappe has decided to remain in Paris for the time being.

In a World Cup year, Vinicius could enjoy a campaign that sees him take the leading man tag for both club and country come the end of the season.

 

Hugo Ekitike – Paris Saint-Germain

Arriving into an attacking that already boasts Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi, it remains to be seen just how much football 20-year-old Hugo Ekitike will manage to play for Christophe Galtier's side.

Moving initially on loan, Ekitike, who was also a target for Newcastle United, is certainly one for the future.

With 10 goals and four assists for Reims last term, Ekitike has shown his prowess in the final third and could be a valuable asset in the hunt to end the elusive wait for a Champions League crown.

Samuele Ricci – Torino

Long touted as the next star in Italy's midfield, Samuele Ricci has moved on from Empoli but, to the surprise of some, did not take the leap to one of Serie A's big guns and instead continued his development by joining Torino in January.

Ricci featured 13 times for Torino, including nine starts in what was a stellar breakout year in Italy's top tier, with the 20-year-old having previously been crowned Serie B's best player in the 2020-21 season.

Breaking into Italy's squad in 2022, Ricci's meteoric rise should continue, and he may find himself coveted by some of the biggest clubs across Europe.

Former Bayern Munich midfielder Dietmar Hamann has admitted he's "cautious" about the club's deal to sign Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus.

The 22-year-old has swapped Turin for the German capital ahead of the 2022-23 season, following what was a difficult three-year stint in Italy.

De Ligt struggled to establish himself as a core member of Juventus' defence and, as a result, saw his stock fall dramatically after previously being widely considered to be one of the best defensive prospects in world football.

Bayern will hope that he can fulfil that potential in Bavaria but Hamann has urged caution about expecting too much from the Netherlands international.

"The big question will be whether De Ligt is able to lead the defence," he told Sky, "He did a wonderful job in Amsterdam. He didn't make it in Turin. 

"Of course, it was a bigger club, bigger competition and he had very experienced players next to him.

"And I don't know if he's the player who comes here now at 22 and immediately leads a defence that was Champions League winners two years ago.

"He may have two world champions next to him in Pavard and Hernandez. That all sounds wonderful. Whether this can then be implemented in practice remains to be seen."

De Ligt is not the only member of Ajax's 2018-19 Champions League semi-final side that has found difficulties since moving to new teams, with Donny Van de Beek at Manchester United and Hakim Ziyech at Chelsea struggling for regular opportunities – which Hamann pointed out.

"All the players who left the very successful Ajax team three years ago were all at best followers of their new clubs," he added.

"And that's why he still owes the proof that he can lead a defence like that of Bayern Munich. I would be a bit cautious."

Leonardo Bonnuci feels Matthijs de Ligt's comments on his desire to depart Juventus showed a lack of respect to the Bianconeri, after the latter completed his move to Bayern Munich.

The Netherlands international sealed his switch to the Bundesliga champions from Turin earlier this month, ending his three-year stint at the Allianz Stadium.

De Ligt made no secret of his desire to move away from Juve, particularly after missing out on the Scudetto in each of the last two seasons.

But while Bonucci wishes his former defensive partner the best, he admits he had to address some of his words before he departed.

"De Ligt’s exit didn’t surprise me because certain comments made it clear he didn’t want to stay at Juventus," the Italy international stated after the Bianconeri beat Guadalajara 2-0 in a pre-season friendly in Las Vegas.

"But I think at the end of the day, you need to be respectful. The group he was with for three years helped him grow, and the club invested in him.

"I wish him the best, but certain comments he made on international duty were not very nice. We spoke about it after our holidays, and he understood.

"Bayern are a great club, but just being at a top club doesn’t mean you are guaranteed to win."

Bonucci, meanwhile, has not given up hope of completing his club trophy cabinet.with Juventus, despite their recent drop in form.

A multiple Serie A and Coppa Italia winner during his time in Turin - along with a Euro 2020 triumph with the Azzurri - the Champions League remains the last major club honour to elude him, having been a beaten finalist on two occasions.

"When I joined, my dream was to have a great career and win everything," he added. "I’ve almost achieved it; I’m 90 per cent there. I’m just missing that tiny piece, which hurts us Juve fans.

"Let’s hope that over the next two years of my contract we can find stability in Europe again. Winning is always difficult. The first step is to reach the quarter-finals, then you need luck.

"In a season so unique, anything can happen, so why not believe in Juve’s future in Europe?"

Julian Nagelsmann praised Matthijs de Ligt and Sadio Mane after they marked their Bayern Munich debuts by scoring in a 6-2 rout of DC United.

De Ligt scored with a sweet volley less than two minutes after coming on as a half-time substitute at Audi Field on Wednesday after Mane had opened the scoring from the penalty spot early on.

Netherlands defender De Ligt was only on the field for 25 minutes before he was withdrawn by Nagelsmann, but the Bayern head coach allayed concerns that his new recruit from Juventus may have sustained an injury.

Mane, signed from Liverpool last month, also set up a goal for Serge Gnabry before Nagelsmann sent out a totally different side for the second half.

Nagelsmann was pleased the impact his new signings made and allayed concerns over De Ligt's fitness ahead of a friendly against Manchester City in Green Bay on Saturday.

He said: "Both players have made a good start.

"Matthijs scored a brilliant goal with his left foot. I saw his impressive passing with his left foot in training today, and now this brilliant finish as well." 

Nagelsmann added of De Ligt's withdrawal: "He's not got an injury, nothing unusual happened. I think he'll be fit again tomorrow and will be able to play on Saturday."

Ryan Gravenberch and Noussair Mazraoui also caught the eye on their debuts, with the former providing an assist for Thomas Muller to complete the scoring.

Nagelsmann said: "Both have done really well, especially in training.

"The final ball from Ryan was brilliant. He's big but he's very quick on his feet. He played a great pass to Thomas."

Debutants Sadio Mane and Matthijs de Ligt both scored in their first friendly appearance for their new club as Bayern Munich defeated DC United 6-2 on Wednesday.

Mane, fresh off his move away from Liverpool, did not have to wait long to open his account, stepping up to the penalty spot after Lucas Copado was brought down less than five minutes into the action.

He made no mistake from the spot, hammering his penalty into the left side of the goal to give Bayern a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute.

Marcel Sabitzer doubled the advantage in the 12th minute with a strike from the top of the box that wrong-footed the DC goalkeeper, and Serge Gnabry made it 3-0 at the break when he got on the end of a Mane assist in the 44th minute.

Bayern subbed on an entirely different 11 for the second half, including new arrival from Juventus De Ligt, and he made an emphatic entrance, firing home a left-foot volley from a corner to score 90 seconds later.

Joshua Zirkzee made it 5-0 in the 51st minute after an assist from Kingsley Coman, before DC finally answered back with a Skage Leland strike in the 54th.

Theodore Ku-Dipietro would give the American side something else to cheer for with his goal in the 83rd minute, before Bayern icon Thomas Muller completed the rout to make it 6-2 in the 92nd.

Juventus new boy Gleison Bremer is drawing inspiration from Bianconeri legend Giorgio Chiellini after replacing Bayern Munich-bound Matthijs de Ligt at the Allianz Stadium. 

With Massimiliano Allegri's side losing De Ligt to the Bundesliga champions on Tuesday, they have swiftly gone about bolstering their backline with a move for Serie A's 2021-22 Defender of the Year.

Playing for Juve's local rivals Torino, Bremer led players across Europe's top five leagues for interceptions (105) last season, making 33 Serie A appearances and contributing to eight clean sheets.

Juventus have reportedly committed to paying €40million plus add-ons for the Brazilian, who will take Chiellini's number three shirt after the Euro 2020 winner left for Los Angeles FC.

And Bremer told the club's media channels he is seeking to emulate the 37-year-old, who he described as the finest defender Italy had to offer. 

"Juventus is a team that always wants to win, and I also have the ambition to win," Bremer said.

"I also talked a bit with Chiellini and I decided that Juventus were the best team.

"I also have a dog that is black and white! It was in my destiny.

"Chiellini is the best Italian defender, I've always said that. So I'm inspired a little by him, and I'll try to do what he did."

After winning nine consecutive league titles between 2011-12 and 2019-20, Juventus have since finished fourth in successive Serie A campaigns.

But Bremer believes the acquisitions of players such as Angel Di Maria and Paul Pogba served to convince him of Juve's chances winning of silverware next season.

The centre-back, who was also strongly linked with Inter, added: "When I saw that Pogba and Di Maria arrived, I had no doubts about who to choose. 

"We are a team built to win.

"I always want to win, the Scudetto, the Champions League. This is my goal."

Bayern Munich could be nearing further additions to their squad after Oliver Kahn confirmed talks with Mathys Tel, Konrad Laimer and David Raum. 

The Bundesliga champions have already signed big-name duo Sadio Mane and Matthijs de Ligt, while the promising Ryan Gravenberch and Noussair Mazraoui have arrived from Ajax. 

Speaking at a news conference to present De Ligt to the media after his €80million arrival from Juventus, Kahn revealed he expects there to be further movement. 

Teenage Rennes forward Tel, experienced RB Leipzig midfielder Laimer and Germany international Raum have all been linked with a switch to the Allianz Arena. 

"We have had further discussions with these players and now we just have to wait and see," said Bayern CEO Kahn on Wednesday. 

"The transfer window is still open for a while. Sometimes things move very quickly. 

"After analysing last season, we thought we should make a few statements. We want to continue to be among the top four teams in Europe." 

Bayern have lost star striker Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona, with the Catalan giants continuing to make significant outlays in the transfer market despite questions about their finances. 

Julian Nagelsmann openly questioned the situation at Barca but Kahn was far more cautious on the subject. 

"You can't be fooled by all the transfers from Barcelona. I'm not a fan of judging things from the outside," said Kahn. 

"None of us can really judge how the situation is. I find that a bit difficult. They'll know what they're doing because they're the only ones who really know the numbers." 

Juventus have signed defender Gleison Bremer from Torino for a reported €40million fee, plus add-ons.

Massimiliano Allegri's side lost Matthijs de Ligt to Bayern Munich on Tuesday but have swiftly acted to bring in Serie A's Defender of the Year from the 2021-22 season.

Bremer looked set to join Inter after announcing his intention to leave Torino, seeking Champions League experience to boost his World Cup squad hopes for Brazil in Qatar in November.

But the 25-year-old will still be playing his football in Turin next campaign after Juve confirmed Bremer's arrival on a five-year contract from their city rivals.

Bremer caught the eye in Serie A last season, making the most recoveries (284) and leading the charts for aerial duels won (132).

The centre-back also led the way across Europe's top five leagues for interceptions (105), averaging 3.3 per 90 minutes.

Bremer will hope to get his first taste of Serie A action for Juve when Allegri's side start their league campaign at home to Sassuolo on August 15.

Bayern Munich players must share the goalscoring burden after Robert Lewandowski's move to Barcelona, according to Joshua Kimmich, who hopes new arrival Matthijs de Ligt can contribute at both ends of the pitch.

Lewandowski completed his long-awaited move to Camp Nou earlier this week, having declared "something had died" within him after netting 50 goals in all competitions during his final season with the Bundesliga champions.

The Poland international has scored a total of 312 Bundesliga goals, with 238 of them coming during an eight-year spell with the Bavarian giants, and finished as the league's top goalscorer in each of the last five seasons.

Bayern had already added Liverpool's Sadio Mane in a bid to lessen the impact of Lewandowski's exit, but Kimmich believes the Senegal forward cannot replace the 33-year-old's goals alone.

"With Lewy we lose a lot of goals, which we all have to make up for collectively," he told Bayern fans at an event in Washington, D.C. 

"Sadio Mane is a great player, but I don't think he's the player who scores 40 or 50 goals in the end. Sadio is hungry, wants to win titles, wants to score goals and move forward. We hope to see that from him.

"He brings other qualities with him, so that another might score more goals. We have a few attacking players who can be dangerous.

"It's also one of my targets to score more goals. There were three goals last season, that can definitely be improved."

 

Having received an estimated €50million for Lewandowski's services, Bayern announced the signing of Netherlands international De Ligt on Tuesday, as they bid to strengthen in defence.

Kimmich believes reinforcing Bayern's backline could make all the difference after the loss of Lewandowski's goals, though he also backed the defender to contribute going forward.

"Matthijs de Ligt has the skills to lead, organise and direct," Kimmich added. "Hopefully he will score a goal or two for us, which is important after Lewy's departure. 

"The 50 goals have to go somewhere! It's good for us when we have someone at the back who's good at tackling, who can organise, and also scores goals. We have great quality in the central defender position.

"Without Lewy, it's even more important to work better at the back. And as long as we're winning the games, it doesn't matter if we have a number nine."

Meanwhile, Kimmich could feature alongside a new midfield partner next term after the club signed Ajax's breakthrough star Ryan Gravenberch for a reported fee of €19m.

And the 27-year-old was enthusiastic about Gravenberch's progress since joining, adding: "He's doing really well in training. 

"[He's a] super boy, very sure on the ball, technically top, physically good. He's 19 years old, it's impressive that he's already at such a high level. He can be very helpful to us."

Matthijs de Ligt leaving Juventus for Bayern Munich is a "good sign" for the Bundesliga champions and the German top flight, according to Julian Nagelsmann.

The centre-back joined Bayern in a deal worth a reported €80million and signed a five-year contract on Monday, ending his three-year spell in Turin.

De Ligt became the fourth arrival this transfer window for Bayern after the additions of Sadio Mane and Ajax duo Noussair Mazraoui and Ryan Gravenberch.

Bayern reportedly beat away interest from Chelsea and Manchester United for De Ligt, who played 2,675 minutes for Juve last season – the most of any outfield player.

Nagelsmann, speaking to reporters on Bayern's pre-season tour in the United States, insists the signing of De Ligt will help his side and German football develop.

"I'm very happy that we got him. He's still very young and he's already had a great career," coach Nagelsmann said. 

"It's a good sign for us and for the whole Bundesliga that we got him. He's a leader and he can do other things, mentoring the players. I hope he can get to know his team-mates soon.

"Of course we don't have [Robert] Lewandowski anymore, so it's important that he also brings his strengths in front of goal as well. I'm hoping for seven or eight goals!"

Lewandowski scored 50 goals in all competitions last campaign, the most across Europe's top five leagues, but has left for Barcelona in a transfer worth up to €50m on a four-year contract.

Though Nagelsmann acknowledged Bayern will miss the talismanic striker, the 34-year-old suggested it is the time for other players to step up in his absence, such as Kinglsey Coman.

"He's one of the most important players for us. He's very good at solving one-on-one situations, whether he's playing left or right," Nagelsmann said of the France international.

"He's also great at crossing and finishing well. He could score more goals in the future. There were many situations in the past where he could have scored.

"We don't have Lewandowski anymore and we need players like him, Sadio, Thomas [Muller and] Jamal [Musiala].

"He's also an important part of the dressing room and speaks German very well. Last season was great but I'm already looking forward to the new season with him."

Lewandowski's 312 Bundesliga goals are the second-most scored by any player in the history of the competition, behind Gerd Muller (365), and team-mate Alphonso Davies is sad to see the forward leave.

"We didn't ask him about his decision. It was his and his family's decision. We wish him all the best," Davies said.

"It's a shame he left us because he's one of the best strikers in the world. But we still have enough quality in the squad.

"Matthijs is an incredible talent, strong, fast, a leader. It's good for us that he's coming. He will bring quality and especially leadership.

"Sadio is a great player and a great person. He's just a good guy and a hard worker."

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