Chelsea remain in pole position to sign Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt despite fresh interest from Bayern Munich, Gazzetta dello Sport claims (today’s edition, page 6).
The Blues are aiming to reinforce their central defensive department this summer following the free transfer exits of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
De Ligt has recently emerged as the prime target, and Gazzetta dello Sport emphasise that Chelsea are still favourites to sign him despite Bayern entering the race.
As per the Italian outlet, the Blues are the only club to have entered formal negotiations with Juventus. Their latest proposal of £60 million plus £8.5m has not been sufficient to seal the deal.
The Italian outlet further claims that Bayern’s interest in the player could ‘push Chelsea to up the ante’ and come close to the £86m fee that the Bianconeri are eyeing.
Our view:
Chelsea are determined to bring De Ligt to Stamford Bridge, and they have now stepped up with a straight-cash offer after their player-plus-cash proposal was rejected.
The Blues would ideally want to negotiate a lower fee for the Dutchman, but the interest from Bayern could speed up negotiations to avoid missing out on the player.
Chelsea have yet to make a signing this summer, but have already suffered a couple of disappointments. They recently failed to hijack Richarlison’s move to Tottenham.
Meanwhile, a fee has been agreed with Leeds United for Raphinha, but the Brazil international has stalled on personal terms due to his ambition of playing for Barcelona.
This has frustrated some of the fans, and it won’t be a surprise if the Blues are prepared to meet Juventus’ price tag for De Ligt. Bayern only seem willing to offer £60m.
De Ligt would be a superb signing for Chelsea with his strong aerial presence, ability to clear his lines and efficient distribution. He could be regarded as a future captain.
At 22, he could be a risk-free signing for the Blues. He has the peak years of his career ahead of him, and could become a key player for the club even if he struggles initially.
De Ligt had an indifferent start at Juventus, but has turned into a top performer in recent years.
