Chelsea are in pole position to sign Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt, according to reports in the Italian media.
Juve are believed to be struggling to tie down the Netherlands international to a contract extension, with the player demanding that his release clause be lowered to between €70m (£61m) and €80m (£69m).
The Serie A club may have to weigh up selling de Ligt, and the Blues are thought to be very keen on securing the centre-back‘s signature. Fans on Twitter had a mixed reaction to the story:
Something's cooking 🔥
I can feel it— Tito Ali 🦍 (@helichito) June 14, 2022
This guy just using Chelsea to renew his contract
— Chelsea4Ever⭐️⭐️💙 (@Chelsea4everA) June 14, 2022
We definitely won’t be paying that much lol. I think reports earlier said juventus are willing to accept lesser than that
— dngy (@CFCDngy) June 14, 2022
Kolibaly is better and more experienced than him
— Peter Mchelsea (@muragepeter254) June 14, 2022
Yh swap him with Jorginho
— MAESTRO🦋 (@andrews_syrup) June 14, 2022
Dutch maguire
— Nathan Owen (@NathanO22000460) June 14, 2022
— Jason Hernandez-Torres (@Luckymadman23) June 14, 2022
De light is going to be another big money mistake
— stunna (@stunnathegoatg1) June 14, 2022
Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool are also believed to be keeping an eye on de Ligt’s situation but Chelsea are undoubtedly the team who have the greatest need for a new centre-half.
Antonio Rudiger has left to join Real Madrid, Andreas Christensen is expected to sign for Barcelona, while the future of captain Cesar Azpilicueta is also uncertain. Recruiting someone like de Ligt would, therefore, greatly strengthen Thomas Tuchel’s options at the back.
