Chelsea are hopeful of finalising the transfer of Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt, who is very open to joining the club, CBS Sports’ journalist Ben Jacobs claims.
The Blues are keen on signing a new centre-back this summer following the free transfer departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
Sevilla’s Jules Kounde was initially considered as the prime target, but the focus has recently shifted to De Ligt amid his desire to leave Juventus.
According to Jacobs, Juventus were eyeing over £80 million for De Ligt earlier this summer, but they could now accept a fee in the region of £70m.
Chelsea are hopeful that they can persuade Juventus with an offer between £60-65m, but seem unlikely to pay the entire fee up front for the player.
Meanwhile, it has been revealed that De Ligt is ‘very open’ to joining Chelsea. Jorginho, who is on Juventus’ radar, won’t be included in the negotiations.
Our view:
De Ligt’s availability has definitely alerted Chelsea. They tried to sign him with an opening offer of £34.5m plus Timo Werner last month which was unsuccessful.
Juventus are clear that they prefer a straight-cash transfer for the 22-year-old, and the onus is on Chelsea to make an improved bid to convince the Bianconeri.
The London giants seem unchallenged in the pursuit of the defender, considering Manchester United have turned their attention to Ajax’s Lisandro Martinez.
Hence, it could be a matter of time before the clubs finalise a suitable agreement. De Ligt would be a superb acquisition for the Blues with age and experience on his side.
At just 22, he has amassed over 230 league appearances. The Netherlands star is strong in the air, likes to make clearances and is comfortable playing out from the back.
His arrival could see manager Thomas Tuchel switch to a back four next season. De Ligt could be a future leader, having already been captain for Ajax and Netherlands.
