Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero says Chelsea should be prioritising a move for Matthijs de Ligt ahead of Kalidou Koulibaly this summer.

The Blues are reportedly interested in both players but Del Piero believes that de Ligt hasn’t shown his full potential yet, and he could thrive if given the chance to improve:

“I think De Ligt has more pace and more potential than he has shown until now. He is playing a different way in Italy in terms of the system, in a line of four. How you address things [defensively] we do a little bit differently in Italy than in the Premier League He also has the potential in physicality. He is strong, he is fast, and has no fear at all. That’s why it could be a good move for Chelsea.”

“On the other side, Koulibaly is kind of perfect at this time, because of his age. He’s 31, he knows what to do. But if you want to buy a player, go for the youngest one, because you have more time to spend [improving him].”

While going after de Ligt would probably be Thomas Tuchel’s preference, finances may dictate that Chelsea consider other options. Juve have been pretty steadfast in terms of their asking price for the defender.

They are not thought to be holding out for the Dutchman’s €120m (£103m) release clause but their price tag is still expected to be a lot higher than the Blues are willing to pay. The likes of Timo Werner and Christian Pulisic have reportedly been offered as makeweights but the two sides remain far apart on their respective valuations. In contrast, Koulibaly has one year left on his contract and it is believed he could be available for around €40m (£34m).

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