Report: Chelsea to splash Juventus out of the water for UCL defender | OneFootball

Juventus could reportedly face steep competition from Chelsea for the services of Feyenoord defender David Hancko.

The Bianconeri identified the 27-year-old as one of their main targets in January after losing Gleison Bremer to a season-ending injury. However, the Dutch giants refused to deprive themselves of one of their most pivotal figures in the middle of the campaign. So in the end, the Serie A giants ended up signing Renato Veiga and Lloyd Kelly.

Nevertheless, many sources in Italian football believe Hancko is already betrothed to Juventus, as the two parties have an agreement in principle for a five-year contract. However, the Bianconeri have yet to strike an accord with Feyenoord over a summer transfer, so the player’s next destination remains anything but certain.

According to TalkSport, Chelsea have now entered the race for Hanko, joining Juventus as well as other suitors, the likes of Atletico Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur.

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The source admits that Juve is indeed the club that made the most progress on this track by launching advanced talks with the player and his entourage. However, Feyenoord have reportedly raised their asking price to 50 million euros, a figure that the Old Lady could struggle to fork out.

On the contrary, the Blues should be able to afford this operation. Hence, they could be in prime position to splash Juventus and the other suitors out of the water with a hefty bid.

It would be interesting to see how this transfer saga would impact Veiga’s future. The 21-year-old is currently on loan at Juventus who have reportedly been convinced by his displays, but don’t possess the option to buy him.

So if Chelsea manage to buy Hancko, perhaps they will be happy to sit on the table with the Serie A giants to negotiate Veiga’s sale. However, many believe the Slovakian remains Cristiano Giuntoli’s ultimate dream to bolster the backline.