Chelsea have been handed a huge boost in their potential move for Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt, if reports are to be believed, despite the 22-year-old being on the verge of signing a new deal with the club. The centre-back has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, with a huge summer ahead for the Blues.
It comes as Thomas Tuchel looks to rebuild his squad going into next season, with the German coach enduring a rollercoaster ride in his first full campaign as manager. To add to that, key defenders Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen are set to leave the club as free agents, putting new centre-backs towards the top of the priority list for the transfer window.
“We are hoping [to be back to normal] but at the moment we are not,” Tuchel said when asked about planning for the summer. “You ask many times if we have a delay in approaching players and making plans, of course a huge delay.
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“We are affected by it, players are going out. We are rebuilding, not improving the squad. We are rebuilding. This is always challenging but we are up for the challenge.”
A whole host of names have been linked with a move to replace the outgoing defenders, from Jules Kounde to Gleison Bremer. Another player that has been thrown in the mix is Juventus’ de Ligt.
The young centre-back has impressed for the Bianconeri since making his move from Ajax for around £75million in 2019. This season he has managed 31 appearances in Serie A, prompting the club to make a new contract proposal.
While this would be seen as a blow to any potential pursuit from the Blues, that may not be the case. As Fabrizio Romano reports, de Ligt is in talks to extend his stay beyond the June 2024 date in his current deal, however, that would likely see his release clause reduced from the current €120million (£101million) one in his contract.
It means that Chelsea could end up signing him for cheaper, despite his contract extension. Whether that is a step the club takes remains to be seen, especially so soon after penning a stay in Italy.
