Juventus are reportedly open to accepting Christian Pulisic as part of a swap deal with Chelsea for defensive mainstay Matthijs de Ligt.
According to 90 Min, Juventus are willing to sign Christian Pulisic as part of a player-plus-cash exchange which would see Chelsea get their hands on top transfer Matthijs de Ligt this summer.
De Ligt has long been on the radars of top clubs across Europe. Having spent three years in Turin since joining them in 2019, the Netherlands international is keen on moving onto a new challenge after seeing the Bianconeri regress in the past couple of campaigns. And Chelsea have emerged as the strongest suitors of the 22-year-old defender.
Chelsea are staring at a major defensive overhaul this summer. Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen have already left the club, and captain Cesar Azpilicueta could follow suit. It would leave the Blues with just Trevoh Chalobah, Thiago Silva and Malang Sarr as the senior centre-back options heading into the next season.
So, Thomas Tuchel’s side are looking to sign at least two new top-quality defenders. Things have gone quiet on their pursuit of Jules Kounde, with Chelsea now focusing their efforts on landing de Ligt and Nathan Ake from Manchester City. Talks are progressing well for the latter, with the former Blues academy man open to a return to Stamford Bridge.
As for de Ligt, Juventus have been reluctant to let go of their prized asset. But with the player standing firm on his desire to move on, there is a feeling that the Bianconeri will look to cash in on him this summer before he enters the final year of his contract in 2023.
Juventus want €100 million for the 22-year-old former AFC Ajax captain, but Chelsea are yet to meet that valuation and instead are looking to offer players as part of the deal to lower de Ligt’s price tag. There have been speculations about the Blues presenting Juve with an opportunity to sign out-of-favour forward Timo Werner as part of the deal.
The Bianconeri were initially adamant about wanting a cash-only deal, but are now warming up to the deal of accepting a player as part of the transfer. While they would be happy to accommodate Werner, 90 Min reports that Juventus want Christian Pulisic and would prefer the 23-year-old USMNT star over the German international this summer.
Pulisic has had a difficult time in Chelsea, failing to nail down a starting berth since his arrival from Borussia Dortmund in 2022. Injuries and intense competition for places have played a part in the United States heartthrob’s struggles, and an exit could be on the cards this summer, especially with Chelsea looking to sign Raheem Sterling and Raphinha.
A move to the Allianz Stadium could serve well for Pulisic, with the Bianconeri having vacancies in the attacking department following the exits of Paulo Dybala, Alvaro Morata, Moise Kean and Federico Bernardeschi. Whether Chelsea and Juventus can strike an agreement over the operation in the coming weeks will be interesting to see.
