Chelsea are reportedly taking big strides towards completing the signing of Matthijs de Ligt, with Juventus close to agreeing the west London side's latest offer. The 22-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge and, while there is progress to be made, the Blues are in 'pole position' to sign the defender.
According to CBS journalist Ben Jacobs, Chelsea are edging closer to reaching an agreement with the Old Lady. The report claims that Juventus prefer a straight-cash deal despite interest in Jorginho.
It's said that the Italy international is not currently part of any bid tabled by Thomas Tuchel's side. The west Londoners are reportedly pushing to complete the signing of De Ligt, with Juventus slowly relaxing their asking price.
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Jacobs adds that Chelsea are hoping to pay between £60million and £65million for the Netherlands international, but Massimiliano Allegri's side are steering Todd Boehly towards £70million - and, potentially, £75million dependant on interest from elsewhere.
According to Italian newspaper Il Corriere dello Sport, via Sport Witness, Chelsea are in 'pole position' to sign De Ligt this summer, despite having already had an initial bid rejected. The Blues offered Juve €45million (£38.9million) and Timo Werner in exchange for De Ligt, which was rebuffed.
However, conflicting reports have claimed that the defender, who currently sees his deal with the Turin-based side 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.
In January, Chelsea were 'willing to go crazy' in their efforts to sign the Dutchman, according to Italian newspaper La Repubblica. But, not known by Tuchel at the time, Rudiger and Andreas Christensen sought futures away from west London.
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 Boehly, who agreed a £4.25billion deal to buy the west London club, 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.
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