Transfer News: Juventus put a big price tag Chelsea target Matthijs de Ligt in the near future
According to Italian outlet Calciomercato (h/t Football.London), Juventus currently have no intention of selling Matthijs De Light, who has been on the radar of Chelsea. The Dutch defender has two years remaining on his current contract with the Turin-based club.
It is, however, suggested that the Italian club would want a minimum offer of £83.6 million for the 22-year-old defender. It is also thought that the former Ajax Amsterdam player could be given the captain’s armband next season with uncertainty looming around the future of Paulo Dybala and Giorgio Chiellini.
The young defender was seen as the next big footballing talent after displaying exceptional qualities with the Eredivisie club. A then 19-year-old de Ligt joined Bianconeri for an initial fee of €75million on a five-year deal in 2019. His performances have blown hot and cold ever since making the move to the Allianz Stadium.
That being said, at 22, the Dutch defender still has a lot of potential to develop as a professional at the elite stage. His time in Italy would have helped him develop a unique side of his game. He would have also benefited greatly from sharing a dressing room with legends of the game such as Leonardo Bonucci and Chiellini.
No Dutch De-ligt for Chelsea
The Dutch international has already notched up 111 appearances, bagging eight goals and two assists in the process for the Italian club to date. The Turin-based club went through a bit of a rough patch in the last couple of seasons but now seems to be regaining its stature once again.
Those who have seen him play would understand the kind of dominance his physique brings in the defensive third of the pitch for his team- and that is also the case on set pieces. Despite being so young, his reading of the game and defensive acumen comes across as that of an experienced player.
The Blues are facing a sense of uncertainty with question marks over the long-term future of Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger, and Cesar Azpilicueta. Hence purchasing a young defender with substantial experience would be a great move for the West Londoners.
de Ligt still has his prime years ahead of him. He could thus become the heart of our central defence should we manage to secure a move for him. The possibility of that looks highly unlikely at the moment but there is a fee that has been quoted for him above- and if it is met, it remains to be seen what the Old Lady make of it.
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It would also be interesting to see how our potential new owners will tackle the potential defensive exodus that is on the cards at the moment. It certainly won’t be an easy task and a potential rebuild may be on the cards. With that in mind, Chelsea would be hoping that they can finish the season on a high, as it would possibly help them lure young talented players to the club in a bid to secure their long-term future.
Making the top four is a minimum for us- which we are on course to achieve. Two wins in the FA Cup will see us bag our first trophy this season after the club failed to build on the early promise shown during the start of the PL season. We have Real Madrid to take on tonight in the UCL last-8 but with a 3-1 deficit from the first leg, that task looks very, very difficult.