Chelsea are ready to offer Timo Werner plus cash to land Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt this summer, according to Gianluca di Marzio. The centre-back has previously been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, but interest appears to be increasing from the Blues.
The report claims an initial bid of roughly €30million (£25million) had been prepared, but would be seen as too little from the Bianconeri. This may be due to a reported release clause of €120million (£103million).
However, a new offer of Werner plus €45million (£38.75million) is believed to be on the table for the Serie A side. Should the deal go through, de Ligt would fill a gap left by the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
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However, it would put an end to a disappointing career at Stamford Bridge for Werner. The 26-year-old joined from RB Leipzig in a deal worth roughly £50million, laying down the gauntlet in an expensive summer transfer window for then Chelsea boss Frank Lampard.
Fast forward to the season just gone, and the statistics don’t tell the story of a striker that was highly sought after. The Germany international made just 21 Premier League appearances, scoring four and assisting once.
Despite an impressive display against Southampton in April, manager Thomas Tuchel was critical of the forward’s ability to adapt: “At some point there are no words, you must help yourself. You sign for Chelsea, you sign for a top club, you have to live up to it and accept the pressure that comes with it. And you also have to help yourself.
“It means when you come on the pitch, you have to be ready when the chance comes, and this is what he did. His attitude has always been good. But he still needs to adapt, because he used to play regularly and used to play for teams that were built for him.”
With a huge summer ahead for the head coach, it remains to be seen who will play a part come next season. Todd Boehly already looks set to move club-record signing Romelu Lukaku on, with more potential outgoings before arrivals come through the door.
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