While Manchester United have been thrown into the Matthijs de Ligt saga of late, Chelsea remain top of the pile when it comes to suitors.
Gazzetta dello Sport make that very clear on Tuesday, claiming the ‘first assault’ from the Blues has already taken place, with a ‘new meeting’ to take place ‘soon’.
Juventus, knowing their player has two years left on his current contract, want to ensure they get as much money as possible, which is why they are pointing to his release clause, which currently stands at €120m.
The Serie A side are ‘making a wall’, with Chelsea ‘trying to attack thanks to their power financial means’.
While the ‘first assault was repelled’, they aren’t actively trying to turn the Premier League side away, because while ‘they don’t open for now, they may in the future’.
The two sides can certainly negotiate, ‘and they might as early as the middle of this week’.
It all started when Chelsea came knocking with a ‘request for information’, to which Juventus replied they would like the release clause to be triggered, or at least come close to it.
Then, ‘from London, they made it known that they could reach a three-figure valuation for De Ligt, of €100m, but they wanted to do so by inserting a technical counterpart in the deal’.
The first two names put on a plate were Timo Werner and Christian Pulisic, but neither of those were ‘considered interesting’.
Juventus’ plan is simple: ‘not to sell De Ligt except in the face of an offer they can’t refuse’, and by that they mean one purely made out of money, ‘capable of changing the market, allowing new investments and adjusting budgets’.
The problem they face is that the Dutchman isn’t overly keen on renewing unless his club agree to lower the release clause to a more affordable €70-80m, and while he is contracted there until 2024, this is the last summer where the Serie A side have full bargaining power.
That’s ‘one more reason to listen to Chelsea’s proposals’, and the ‘two leaderships are expected to meet between tomorrow and Thursday to talk face to face’.
This meeting could be one where ‘there is a risk of getting serious’, and there is a need ‘to understand how much resistance Juventus will put up’.
It’s unlikely that Chelsea will solely put cash on the table, but they could change the players they offer as part of the deal, ‘perhaps starting with Jorginho who, a few months ago, when Abramovich’s men were still in charge of the Blues, had had contact’ with Max Allegri’s side.
De Ligt’s desire is also likely to count in all this, and while Gazzetta do make it clear he hasn’t actively asked for a transfer (something Corriere dello Sport claim he did), he has ‘sent broad signals in recent months that he is also considering alternative solutions’.
A lot could also rest on the timing, because, should a transfer to Chelsea take place, the sooner it happens, the better for all, as it would give Juventus even more time to find a suitable replacement.
A lot to take in, but it does appear Todd Boehly and Thomas Tuchel could be seriously considering this.
