Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt has moved to reduce speculation that he could leave the Italian giants this summer, with Chelsea among the clubs interested in his signature.
The Blues were heavily linked with the 22-year-old during the summer window but could not agree a deal for his services in time.
However, with Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger all potentially leaving, Chelsea could well reopen discussions as they look to bolster Thomas Tuchel's backline.
De Ligt's agent, Mino Raiola, sparked speculation that the move could well be on the cards too when he admitted that his client wanted to leave Turin this summer.
"He is ready for a new step," Raiola said in an interview with NRC back in December. "He thinks that, too."
In a separate interview shortly after he insisted that there would be no shortage of clubs interested in signing De Ligt, whose £103million release cause is currently active.
"We can all think of the clubs that Matthijs could go to," Raiola told NOS.
"Then you don’t talk about Fortuna Dusseldorf, with all due respect. In the summer we have to see if there are clubs on the market.
"That can be the Premier League, but also Barcelona, Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain."
But the player appears to have taken the narrative into his own hands for the time being.
Despite speculation continuing to swirl around the player, he has now insisted that he remains happy at Juventus, saying it is an environment that he thrives and even hinting that things have changed since Raiola's interviews.
"We are still fighting on three fronts and I am really enjoying myself here," De Ligt told Rondo, via Football Italia.
"I notice that I learn more every week and I really like that. What Mino said was already three months ago; in that time, so much can change… At the moment, I’m just fully focused on this season."
