Juventus look set to accidentally hand Chelsea a major boost in their efforts of finding a replacement for Antonio Rudiger. The Blues have been heavily linked with several defenders ahead of the summer transfer window and, now that the German's move to Real Madrid has been confirmed, Thomas Tuchel's side seem to have stepped up their pursuit.
Last month, the west Londoners reignited interest in Matthijs de Ligt, according to Calciomercato. The report claimed that Chelsea are serious in their hopes of signing the centre-half and that developments are expected shortly.
However, the 22-year-old, who currently sees his deal with the Old Lady expire in 2024, has since entered talks with the Juventus over a new deal. And, while it may come as an initial blow to the Blues, Fabrizio Romano has clarified that should De Ligt pen a new contract in Turin, the current €120million (£103m) release clause would be lowered.
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The report does not outline what the new fee will be, though a lower clause will come as a major boost for Chelsea should they look to pull the trigger on a move. De Ligt was heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in January, but a move failed to materialise.
The Blues were 'willing to go crazy' in their efforts to lure the defender, according to Italian newspaper La Repubblica. But, not known by Tuchel at the time, Rudiger and Andreas Christensen sought futures away from west London - the latter is also set to leave the club in the coming weeks once his contract expires.
Chelsea then followed up their interest a month later with the hope of laying the groundwork for a transfer in the summer, but Tuchel's mission to bolster his defence was quickly stopped in its tracks following the UK Government's decision to sanction Roman Abramovich.
The licence issued to Chelsea by the government allowed the club to keep playing. It also meant that the Blues could not sign or sell players, or enter into contract talks with existing players on their books, which meant the west Londoner's pursuit of the defender came to a halt.
Now, the consortium led by Todd Boehly, who agreed a £4.25billion deal to buy the west London club last week, are expected to 'push for A-list signings' to mark a new era at Stamford Bridge, according to the MailOnline. With the new ownership group eager to bolster the Blues' armoury, The Telegraph indicate that after player sales are taken into account, Tuchel is set to have £200million at his disposal to strengthen his side.
And, De Ligt could - or could not - be a part of the rebuild. He featured 31 times for the Old Lady in Serie A this season, helping Massimiliano Allegri's side retain the third-best defensive record in the league.
Regardless of whether the American billionaire secures De Ligt's services, Tuchel is keen to undergo a rebuild at Chelsea this summer. Speaking to football.london, the Blues boss said: "We are rebuilding, not improving the squad. We are rebuilding. This is always challenging, but we are up for the challenge.
"I don't know where we are from day one. What I can promise is that I will be here – if I can promise that – I will be here with full energy and positive energy no matter what. We will still work for Chelsea, and I refuse to think of negative scenarios. We will be competitive, on which level we will see."
