Chelsea target Matthijs de Ligt has handed in a 'transfer request' to Juventus after the latest rounds of contract talks have broken down between the two parties with Chelsea now ready to pursue their interest in the Dutchman as they receive the green light on his behalf.
The defensive situation this summer at Chelsea is one that will require a lot of effort and money to fix. The likes of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen have already jumped ship with Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta potentially following suit. Therefore, this has caused Todd Boehly and manager Thomas Tuchel to set aside significant funds from the £200million transfer budget to fix the gaps left by the various departures that have already happened and that are forecasted.
In central defence, Jules Kounde is expected to be signed despite late efforts from Barcelona to hijack the deal. It is believed that the Les Bleus international has his heart set on a move to the Premier League meaning a fee is the only stumbling block currently. Out on the full-back front, Lens full-back Jonathan Clauss is the first choice option to be brought in for a mere £10m if Azpilicueta's Barca move was to go through.
READ MORE: Matthijs De Ligt tells Chelsea why their Todd Boehly 'sporting project' gives them transfer hope
However, those two on their own won't be enough to compensate for the exits. Consequently, another centre-half is to be pursued and despite initial feelings that this player would be a Premier League proven option amid tenuous links to the likes of Nathan Ake and others, that plan may have to be shredded due to the latest developments regarding the de Ligt situation.
The Blues have always had the 22-year-old on their dream wish-list but his expensive £103m release clause meant that up until this point, it was always going to be a no-go. "The prospect of signing de Ligt this summer was floated to Chelsea earlier in the season as he is on big money at Juventus. But the Dutchman is currently in talks over a new deal with Juve and the first-choice centre-back signing for Chelsea remains Kounde," football.london's Chelsea Chief correspondent Adam Newson had updated in his most recent Q&A a few weeks ago.
De Ligt himself, as already mentioned, had admitted that he was in contract talks with Juventus to extend his current deal but also to reduce the release clause amid frustrations he's personally had at seeing Juve's dominance of Serie A slip away in recent seasons with both Milan clubs breaking up the Old Lady's power hold that they have had for many years now.
Encouragingly though from a Blues perspective, those talks haven't gone the way that many had forecasted them to have gone and as a result, the defender has 'requested' a transfer away from Serie A this summer, according to the latest reports coming out from Italy.
Corriere dello Sport have run the de Ligt story on the front page of their Friday edition with the translated title of 'De Ligt wants the Premier.' The report goes on to clarify that no agreements could be met on the reduction of the release clause and new terms which he had requested, meaning various English clubs have been alerted of this breakdown in talks.
Chelsea are currently at the front of the queue for a player valued at around £63m currently by Transfermarkt but it is understood that both Manchester clubs would be interested in joining the race if it opens up.
Whether or not Juve accept a lower offer than the current and steep £103m release clause remains to be seen but this situation has unexpectedly opened up to a point now where the Blues can really pounce on all this uncertainty.
Chelsea fans - how much would you be willing to pay for Matthijs de Ligt this summer? Leave your thoughts down below in the comments section!
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