Matthijs de Ligt wants to push through a summer move to Chelsea.
Juventus are ready to sell for substantially less than his £100m buy-out clause and may be willing to let him go for £70m.
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is a big admirer of the 22-year-old Dutch defender who is on around £200,000-a-week and his wages and current deal is one of the reasons why Juventus are open to letting him go.
Chelsea have already made an approach as they look to bolster their squad this summer with De Ligt now a key target along with the likes of Raheem Sterling and Ousmane Dembele.
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Tuchel is in the market for two defenders as Antonio Rudiger after he joined Real Madrid while Andreas Christensen has also confirmed publicly his departure with Barcelona long term admirers.
Chelsea have also been courting Sevilla’s Jules Kounde for more than a year and nearly got him last summer but have so far been met with frustration.
The discussions over De Ligt are now moving faster and the ex-Ajax defender looks more likely and he has long fancied a move to the Premier League.
Chelsea are waiting to discover news on France star Dembele, 25, who is out of contract with Barcelona on June 30 and his future is yet to be resolved but that seems certain to become clear in the next few days.
His representatives have held further talks with Barcelona but the Spanish giants have so far been unable to reach an agreement and if he leaves as a free agent then Chelsea are in pole position.
Chelsea are also preparing a bid for Manchester City forward Sterling with Tuchel pushing for the England international to move to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea’s new owner Todd Boelhy is ready to spend big this summer and make a statement of intent following his takeover.
However, Boelhy has been left without a support network at Stamford Bridge amid a huge exodus of staff with Technical and Performance Advisor Petr Cech the latest departure after chairman Bruce Buck and transfer negotiator Marina Granovskaia.
Cech, the club’s legendary former keeper, has quickly built a reputation as a sharp operator but the club is clearly moving away from its roots from the Roman Abramovich era.
However, Chelsea are preparing to allow Romelu Lukaku leave on a year-long loan to Inter Milan just 12 months after re-signing him in a record £97.5m move. Tuchel was willing to let Lukaku go but it must be seen as a gamble which does not reflect well on the club’s recruitment.
Boelhy in the meantime has been hands-on when it comes to targeting new signings and is working closely with Tuchel to get deals over the line.
Cech said: “It has been a huge privilege to perform this role at Chelsea for the past three years. With the Club under new ownership, I feel now is the right time for me to step aside.
“I am pleased that the Club is now in an excellent position with the new owners, and I am confident of its future success both on and off the pitch.”
