It’s no secret that Chelsea are interested in Matthijs De Ligt, as the centre of their defence is going to need reshaping for next year.
The likes of Antonio Rüdiger, Andreas Christensen and César Azpilicueta appear to be ready to run down their Stamford Bridge contracts, leaving Thomas Tuchel with a big gap to fill if they all leave.
Signing the Dutchman would go a long way, and Corriere dello Sport make it clear he is the man they are going to go after this summer.
They state ‘everyone wants’ the former Ajax starlet, ‘above all Chelsea’, pointing at the Premier League side’s situation, with it explained the Blues are ‘ready to present an offer without paying too much attention to expenses’.
While his release clause is set to be at €125m, Juventus ‘could also agree to negotiate for a lower sum’, which would still see a fee ‘close to the three figures’, meaning €100m, ‘without forgetting that they will have to pay the last €30m to Ajax in the next two years’.
As things stand, De Ligt has not ‘asked for a sale’, delaying anything of that sort ‘to the end of the season’, but a tricky negotiation is on the cards.
Either they set up a ‘delicate renewal’, although the wage demands will be high, ‘or schedule a sale’, which would suit Chelsea perfectly.
