Bayern Munich are set to rival Chelsea in the race to sign Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt this summer.
According to Defensa Central, Matthijs de Ligt is strongly considering a move to Chelsea as he believes performing in the Premier League could help him garner the attention of all the top clubs across Europe. But Chelsea’s road to sign the Juventus centre-back won’t be easy, as Bayern Munich are involved in the chase as well.
The Bavarians are looking to take advantage of Juventus’ perilous situation by snapping up de Ligt ahead of the new season. It is no secret that the club are looking for defensive reinforcements in the summer after losing Niklas Sule to Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer.
There have been questions raised over the reliability of youngster Tanguy Nianzou as well, whereas Dayot Upamecano is yet to establish himself following his big-money move to the Allianz Arena last summer. It has accentuated the need for a top-class centre-back, who can bring quality to the Bayern backline that conceded goals for fun last season.
Matthijs de Ligt could be just the man to spearhead the defensive line for Bayern and add a new element of quality at the back. However, luring him away from Turin will not be easy as Juventus are determined to keep hold of the player. Although the Italian giants are aware of the defender’s desire to leave the club, they are not expected to entertain offers below the €100 million mark.
Such a figure would effectively rule Bayern Munich out of the race, as the Bavarians simply do not have the resources nor the mentality to spend around €100 million on an individual. It should give Chelsea the upper hand in the race, especially as new owners led by Todd Boehly looks to inject a financial boost and attract top players ahead of the new season.
The Blues had reportedly targeted Mohamed Salah prior to his contract extension at Anfield. They are expected to splurge big for de Ligt as well, with the Dutchman widely considered to be the favourite for coach Thomas Tuchel.
Recent reports even indicate Chelsea are growing confident of their chances to sign de Ligt in the coming days, especially with Juventus warming up to the idea of accepting a player as part of the deal to let the Netherlands international leave this summer..
