GiveMeSport
·19 June 2022
GiveMeSport
·19 June 2022
Chelsea target Matthijs de Ligt ‘would be a quality addition’ for Thomas Tuchel’s charges this summer, according to journalist Jacque Talbot.
The Blues are in desperate need of defensive reinforcements over the coming months, with both Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger set to seek pastures news.
While Rudiger has agreed terms on a four-year stay with European champions Real Madrid, Christensen is expected to complete a switch to Barcelona when his contract expires at the end of the month.
Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano has revealed that club captain Cesar Azpilicueta remains on the radar of the Catalan giants despite recently triggering a 12-month extension on his existing deal at Chelsea.
And Romano has also claimed that De Ligt is one player who the west London outfit are ‘monitoring’ as they plan for life without key members of their experienced backline.
The Netherlands international is believed to have a €120 million (£102m) release clause in his £200,000-a-week contract, which expires in 2024, and is refusing to put pen to paper on fresh terms until that fee is lowered.
With De Ligt’s contract negotiations reaching an impasse, speculation over his future is continuing to grow, and Talbot believes the prospect of staying at Juve is not as ‘attractive’ as moving to Chelsea.
In an interview with GiveMeSport, he said: “He’s a quality young defender. And Chelsea, Christensen’s left, Rudiger as well, so they need to bring in two or three defenders.
Barca agree De Jong transfer!? Hear more on The Football Terrace…
“He’s young enough, he’s experienced enough, Juventus, there was nine Serie A’s in a row, and now they’re sort of in the slumps while the Premier League is just shooting up in terms of its prestige and size.
“And unfortunately, clubs the size of Juventus are not as attractive as somebody like Chelsea, so that would be a quality addition for them.”
De Ligt established himself undoubtedly as Juve’s first-choice central defender last term as club legends Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci both suffered multiple injury complaints.
As per WhoScored, the 6 foot 2 ace won 2.9 aerial duels, made 3.1 clearances and 0.7 blocks per league game throughout 2021/22, placing him in the top three for each metric when compared to his teammates.
The youngster, who was described as a “monster” by Fabio Paratici has already claimed two league titles and two cups in his short career and could carry that winning mentality into a promising Chelsea side.