Transfer News: Manchester City enter race for Matthijs de Ligt amid Chelsea interest
Pep Guardiola could potentially hand Thomas Tuchel a big blow this summer as Manchester City enter the race to sign Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt amid Chelsea’s interest. This is according to Italian outlet Tuttomercato (h/t football.london).
City are willing to offer £76million to the Old Lady for the services of the 22-year-old Dutch centre-back. This comes amid Chelsea’s plan to lure Raheem Sterling and Nathan Ake from the Etihad to Stamford Bridge. The Blues are said to have agreed on a fee worth £50million for Sterling.
Guardiola plans to fund the de Ligt transfer with the money from Ake’s sale, should he depart. It is said that the Cityzens are wanting around £50million for 27-year-old Ake. Chelsea are said to be in advanced talks with City for the player, with fees and personal terms being discussed.
This could come as a huge blow to Tuchel and Chelsea. Tuchel is said to be a big fan of de Ligt and was willing to ‘go crazy’ to sign the Dutchman in January. But that did not happen, and when they followed up their interest in the next month, all talks came to a halt after the UK government sanctioned previous owner Roman Abramovich.
Now under new owners, Chelsea are yet to make a signing. De Ligt had been identified as a possible solution to help with the defensive woes after Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen left the club for free last month. But now they have been served another blow.
Bayern Munich are also said to be in the race for de Ligt. And with City joining too, Chelsea could have a really hard time landing the player. De Ligt’s quality is not a question, considering the clubs in the fray for the 22-year-old. Plus signing the Dutchman will not only help Tuchel solve his current defensive woes, but he could have a leader to lead his back line for years to come.
It could be interesting to see who arrives in west London this summer. After having failed to make a signing last month, it looks like it could be a busy month for the Blues- or at least that’s what our fans would hope.
Battling City for a world-class player also means that not only can we sign a quality footballer but also directly impact City’s squad depth for next season. Them being our domestic and European rivals for trophies, it would be a double boost for us.
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With the club away in the United States for pre-season, any potential new arrival could most likely join the team in the States or link up with them when they’re back. Tuchel will be wanting to have a squad ready as soon as possible, as he will hope to mount a title challenge next season.