Chelsea have been long-term admirers of Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt with the summer transfer window just around the corner, but any deal will be far from straightforward.
Thomas Tuchel is set to lose Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen this summer, with doubts also hanging over the futures of Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso. It leaves him with plenty of work to do in the transfer market this summer as the Blues play catchup with the rest of the top-flight.
Sanctions placed on Roman Abramovich meant the club could not negotiate contracts or transfers in the build-up to the window opening. Now under the ownership of Todd Boehly, they can finally start to plan again.
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According to transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea's interest in De Ligt has not wavered over the past year. The Dutchman has been linked with an exit from Juventus for some time now, with the Blues eager to position themselves as a potential destination.
Still only 22-years-old, De Ligt has a release clause of €120 million (£102 million), and Juventus are eager to tie him down to a new deal to secure his long-term future. While this may not sound like good news for Chelsea, it could help them in the long term as the player is demanding his release clause be lowered as part of the terms.
Writing in his Caught Offside column on Monday, Romano reported: "Matthijs de Ligt's current release clause is valid for €120m, while his current contract expires in June 2024. Juventus are now negotiating with the Dutch defender to extend the contract until 2025 or 2026, but De Ligt has told the club that he will only sign a new agreement if the release clause is lowered.
"So far for Barcelona, who have financial problems, it is too expensive a deal for them to seriously consider at the moment. Chelsea have been monitoring De Ligt for months, but the priority at the moment is Jules Kounde."
