Chelsea are weighing up a bid for Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
Writing in his column for CaughtOffside.com, the Italian journalist said that the Blues have been monitoring the Dutch international for “months” and, while a bid for Sevilla’s Jules Kounde is still the main focus, you can’t rule out an offer for de Ligt as well:
“De Ligt is a top player and Juve won’t want to lose him, but he’s not making it easy for them here, and if Chelsea decide they want another centre-back in the near future, this increasingly looks like a serious option for them.”
De Ligt does have a €120m (£103m) release clause, but it’s unlikely that Chelsea would have to pay that much to secure the centre-back’s signature.
The 22-year-old has two years remaining on his contract, and he is believed to have told Juve that he will only sign an extension if his buyout fee is lowered.
Were the clause to go below the £100m, it would likely bring de Ligt into Chelsea’s price range, and even if Juventus refuse to offer the player a new deal, they would still have the dilemma over whether to sell him. We shall see how things develop in the coming weeks.
