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Chelsea are keen to land Juventus center-back Matthijs de Ligt this summer as they prepare to address huge vacancies at the back left behind by departures. With Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger leaving Stamford Bridge on free transfers, Chelsea have a void at the heart of their backline that, they hope, the Dutchman can fill up.
The Blues are yet to make a signing in the new Todd Boehly era, and it seems like they might have to offer a player from their own squad to add the Juventus star. The Daily Mail reported that the Premier League giants are ready to use Christian Pulisic as a makeweight to bring down De Ligt's price.
The Bianconeri paid €85m to sign the center-back from Ajax in 2019. His market value is currently at €70m and that is exactly the kind of fee the Serie A club is demanding. With the inclusion of the American star, talks are believed to have resumed between Chelsea and Juventus.
The report also mentions that Timo Werner is another player who could be used in the deal to bring down the Dutch international's asking price. However, the Italian club prefer Pulisic.
The former Borussia Dortmund star has failed to live up to the hype since joining the club in 2019 for €64m. He has struggled with injuries and has lacked consistency. Chelsea wouldn't mind offloading the USMNT captain if it helps them sign De Ligt this season.
The Blues would definitely not want to pay the Juventus around €120m, which is the value of the player's release clause, and hence a player-plus-cash deal is their best bet. The 22-year old has made 117 appearances for the Old Lady so far, but he hasn't been flawless by any means in his three-year spell with them.
Juventus CEO hints at De Ligt exit amidst Chelsea links
The Bianconeri cannot hold on to any players on their wage list who want to leave the club, as per CEO Maurizio Arrivabene. While speaking to Tuttosport, he claimed that if a player wanted to leave today, it would be impossible to keep them at the club. Arrivabene said, via GOAL:
“Today, keeping a player who wants to leave is impossible. It’s not always about the money and if one wants to go, you don’t just tell him: ok, go ahead. It’s hard to keep a player, but all those sitting at the table of negotiations must be satisfied. Who has the money wins.”
It is being assumed that the Juventus CEO is hinting towards De Ligt, who is aware of Chelsea's interest and looking for a new challenge as well.
