Matthijs de Ligt's father drops potential hint on defender's next destination amid interest from Chelsea and Bayern Munich: Reports

Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt's father Frank de Ligt has given a potential insight into his son's future amidst interest from Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

According to The Express, Frank de Ligt recently followed Bayern Munich as well as the Bavarian giants' sister accounts in different languages on Twitter. This indicates that Chelsea could face an uphill task in their pursuit of De Ligt, who has emerged as one of the club's top transfer targets in recent weeks.

Matthijs de Ligt joined Juventus from Ajax in 2019 for €75 million. He has gone on to make 117 appearances for the club in all competitions and helped them win a Serie A title and a Coppa Italia.

The Dutchman is a crucial member of the Bianconeri's starting line-up. He could be the long-term replacement for veteran defender Giorgio Chiellini, who left the club at the end of last season.

However, the 22-year-old is believed to have had a falling out with Juventus' hierarchy after contract negotiations. De Ligt is rumored to have been angered by his talks with the club and has made clear his desire to leave Turin this summer.

Chelsea are in desperate need of defensive reinforcements after parting ways with Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen. The duo left the club following the expiration of their contracts on June 30. Thomas Tuchel is believed to be a massive fan of Matthijs de Ligt.

They could, however, lose out to Bayern Munich, who are seemingly front-runners in the race to sign De Ligt as indicated by his father's recent social media activity.

The Bundesliga giants parted ways with Niklas Sule after the expiration of his contract last month. They will be eager to sign a world-class defender to replace the German.

Chelsea are likely to switch their focus to Jules Kounde if they fail to sign Bayern Munich target Matthijs de Ligt

Sevilla's Jules Kounde in action.

Chelsea are seemingly set to resume their pursuit of Jules Kounde if they lose out to Bayern Munich in the race to sign Matthijs de Ligt. The Blues were heavily linked with a move for the Sevilla defender last month. However, they were unable to reach an agreement over the transfer fee as per The Express.

According to The Sun, Thomas Tuchel's side are set to resume their pursuit of the 23-year-old, who is believed to have already agreed on a five-year contract with the west London club.

Jules Kounde is widely regarded as one of the most promising young prospects in Europe. He helped Sevilla win the Europa League during the 2019-20 campaign.

Kounde also led the club to a third-place finish in La Liga last season with his solid defensive displays. His speed, tenacity, and physicality make him the ideal replacement for Antonio Rudiger at Stamford Bridge.