Chelsea have been handed a major boost to their hopes of signing Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt.
The Blues have been linked with the Dutchman for some time as Thomas Tuchel aims to bolster his defensive options at Stamford Bridge, with a number of questions hovering over the future of a few key players currently at the club.
Antonio Rudiger is out of contract at the end of the season and would be available on a free transfer, whilst Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen also see their respective deals expire at the end of the campaign.
Should the trio all leave in the near future then that would leave Chelsea extremely low on defensive options heading into next season.
One man who could potentially alleviate that problem is de Ligt, with the Blues having been noted as admirers for some time and now could well be the time to make a play for the former Ajax man’s services.
According to CalcioMercato, both Juventus and de Ligt are at a crossroads, with his own deal in Turin set to expire in the summer of 2024.
It is suggested that either an extended contract or a sale will be considered - at least while Juventus can still demand a premium for his signature.
The latter appears to be the most likely cause of action though considering the Old Lady’s business in the current window.
It is expected that the Italian giants are set to beat Arsenal to the signing of the much sought-after Dusan Vlahovic - a £62.8m fee having been agreed between Juventus and his current employers Fiorentina.
That large outlay could potentially see the Turin giants attempt to balance the books, with de Ligt reported to be one of those that could be considered for a departure - ironically, replacements in the form of Christensen, Rudiger and Alessio Romagnoli have already been sounded out.
If that is the case, Chelsea could well take advantage of the situation by making a move for de Ligt and secure one of their long-term targets.
