Reports | Chelsea preparing €120 million bid for Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt
Matthijs de Ligt has made 80 appearances for Juventus
|According to AS, Chelsea are considering making a bid worth €120 million for Matthijs de Ligt next summer after their pursuit for Jules Kounde failed last summer. The Blues are looking to reinforce their defense and believe that the Dutch defender is the perfect man to complete their team.
While only Manchester City has conceded fewer goals than Chelsea in the league this season, the Blues still spent most of the summer window chasing after Jules Kounde. The Frenchman was reportedly, their top defensive target but the fact that Sevilla refused to reduce their asking price of €90 million saw no move materialize. But so far, that hasn’t affected Thomas Tuchel’s side at all with the Blues proving to be one of the better sides in the title race, both offensively and defensively.
That is mainly because Antonio Rudiger and Thiago Silva plus Andreas Christensen and Trevor Chalobah have all stepped up their game. But with Silva inching towards 40, reports have indicated that Chelsea are looking at a replacement and Matthijs de Ligt is now their top choice. AS has reported that the Blues are looking to sign the Dutch defender especially with De Ligt’s release clause getting activated next summer.
The 22-year-old does have a contract with Juventus until 2024 but reportedly has a €120 million release clause that gets activated in the summer of 2022. It has seen the likes of Barcelona, Manchester United, Manchester City, Real Madrid and a few other sides keep an eye on proceedings but Chelsea are reportedly willing to pay out the fee. The report has further indicated that De Ligt would be open to a move to England but it all depends on Juventus and how the current season rolls along.
