Chelsea are at the forefront of securing a deal with Italian league giants, Juventus, for Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt as a replacement for Antonio Rudiger, who has joined Real Madrid on a free transfer.
The Blues are not in for a tea party to pounce on the availability of the player having been edged out of Inter Milan Skriniar’s deal by Paris Saint-Germain.
According to reports from Italy, Chelsea have already tendered an offer of about €40m while also including Timo Werner in the deal.
Bianconeri are desirous of the striker but believe the Blues’ offer cash offer for the defender is below their asking price.
De Ligt has a €125m release clause which will become activated this summer. The player’s deal ends in 2024 but his release clause would have increased to €140m before then.
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According to Calciomercato, Juventus like the option of Werner in the deal but expect a higher offer from Chelsea, at least in the region of €70m. Juventus would also sell De Ligt for circa €100m without including any other player in the deal.
De Lift have featured for Bianconeri in three seasons and has made 117 appearances while scoring four goals. Last season, the defender headed the equalising goal against Cagliari Calcio to cancel João Pedro’s opener at Unipol Domus.
Meanwhile, another report has contravened the widely circulated news about Juventus accepting Timo Werner as part of the deal to bring De Ligt to Stamford Bridged this summer.
According to Football Italia, Juventus have agreed with Chelsea to include a player as part of the deal but prefer Christian Pulisic over the Germany striker.
The Blues will, however, find a solution to Juventus’ request having lost two central defenders, Rudiger and Andreas Christensen to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.
