Chelsea are preparing a contingency plan in the event that Bayern Munich hijack a deal for Matthijs de Ligt, with Thomas Tuchel eager to sign at least two defenders this summer. The 22-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge and, while there is still progress to be made by all parties, a departure from Turin looks imminent.
football.london understand that the west Londoners have held talks with Juventus regarding the defender's future but the Blues are yet to table a bid. Bayern have since entered the frame to sign the defender and, according to SPORT1, De Ligt has verbally agreed to join the Bundesliga champions.
The report adds that a deal between Juventus and Bayern will only fall through if a fee can not be agreed, with personal terms not believed to be an issue. With Todd Boehly aware of competition from the German giants, Chelsea have begun to monitor Dayot Upamecano's situation, according to the Evening Standard.
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The 23-year-old defender featured 28 times for Bayern in the Bundesliga last season, steering Julian Nagelsmann's side to domestic triumph. Upamecano, who sees his contract at the Allianz Arena expire in 2026, impressed but De Ligt will almost certainly cast doubt over the France international's future.
Tuchel's eagerness to sign two defenders this summer follows the exits of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen. football.london understand that former Chelsea transfer chief Marina Granovskaia wanted Jules Kounde but, since she has left, talks have gone quiet.
It's also understood that a deal for the Sevilla defender could be revisited later on in the window, but De Ligt's back-burning of the Blues could reignite an urgency to finally complete the transfer. Regardless of who Tuchel lands this summer, the Blues boss is keen to undergo a rebuild.
Speaking to football.london, the German said: "We are rebuilding, not improving the squad. We are rebuilding. This is always challenging, but we are up for the challenge.
"I don't know where we are from day one. What I can promise is that I will be here – if I can promise that – I will be here with full energy and positive energy no matter what. We will still work for Chelsea, and I refuse to think of negative scenarios. We will be competitive, on which level we will see."
Upamecano is currently valued at around £76.2million, according to CIES, which isn't too far off of De Ligt's evaluation.
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