Juventus won’t sell centre-back Matthijs de Ligt for below his €150m (£127m) release clause, according to reports in the Italian media.
The defender is deemed to be a key player by the Serie A club but his agent, Mino Raiola, is believed to have been in contact with a number of clubs, including Chelsea, about a potential transfer.
Raiola is said to be unhappy with de Ligt’s situation at Juve and he has offered up the player to the Blues, Manchester City and Barcelona.
Manager Thomas Tuchel is expected to go after a new centre-half, either in January or at the end of the season, with Sevilla’s Jules Kounde having been heavily linked over the summer.
However, If Juve don’t reduce their demands for de Ligt, it seems unlikely that the Dutchman will be a genuine transfer target for Chelsea. The Blues refused to pay Kounde’s €80m (£67.5m) release clause so paying almost double that for de Ligt looks to be completely out of the question.
