Chelsea look set to submit an official €70 million bid to Juventus for Dutch defensive stalwart Matthijs de Ligt as they line up a summer move.
Chelsea appear to have taken another step forward in their pursuit to land Juventus and Netherlands star Matthijs de Ligt, and a Stamford Bridge switch is now looking increasingly likely. That’s according to Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla, who claims the Blues are readying to table their first offer for the Juventus defender as the Londoners wish to complete the deal in the coming weeks.
The said offer will be worth around €70 million, plus add-ons, and does not contain any players, despite prior rumours stating Timo Werner may be offered as a makeweight to sweeten the proposal for de Ligt. It is still well short of Juventus’ valuation of around €100 million, but the Bianconeri are seemingly under pressure to sell the player this summer.
Chelsea have been heavily linked with de Ligt during the last few weeks, but his €120 million release clause has proven to be a stumbling block. Juventus are adamant about not losing their prized defender, who won the Serie A title during his debut season in Italy and has since made 117 appearances for the club, especially after the departure of Giorgio Chiellini to the MLS.
However, de Ligt is apparently pushing for a mega-money move to Chelsea as he is desperate to leave the Allianz Stadium after three seasons and has already submitted a transfer request to the Bianconeri.
While he still has two years left on his current deal with the Turin giants, this eagerness to leave the Turin giants is driving his valuation down. This became ever-so clear when Juventus CEO Maurizio Arrivabene admitted that it is looking likely that they will lose the defender when asked about de Ligt’s imminent future.
Chelsea are in the market to sign at least two central defenders this summer following the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, which has left them with Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Malang Sarr, and Trevoh Chalobah as senior centre-back options.
To that end, it seems Chelsea are aiming to bring both de Ligt and Manchester City defender Nathan Ake through the door. The former is a dominating centre-back with great strength and leadership qualities, as well as being comfortable in possession. Not to mention, he is still just 22 years old and has racked up a lot of experience at both club and international level.
In another boost for Todd Boehly’s side, Pedulla has added that Juventus are ready to consider a fee under de Ligt’s whopping €120 million buyout clause but whether they will accept a bid full €50 million below that figure remains to be seen. This story is certainly one worth keeping an eye on in the coming days.