Chelsea accelerate talks to sign 22-year-old superstar: Reports

Chelsea are reportedly progressing in their talks with Juventus to sign centre-back Matthijs de Ligt as the club hopes to reinforce their defense ahead of the 2022-23 season.

The young Dutch defender will see his current contract with Juventus expire in 2024. De Ligt has been linked with several clubs in the summer transfer window.

The 22-year-old joined Juventus in 2019. He helped the Serie A side win the league title on his debut season. However, the club lost their grip on Serie A in the following season and went trophyless last term.

Calciomercato has reported that Chelsea are in "pole position" to sign De Ligt but a deal is yet to be struck with Juventus. He shot to fame after captaining Ajax to a UEFA Champions League semi-final in the 2018-2019 season. The player has now been identified by Blues coach Thomas Tuchel as a top priority target this summer.

According to The Telegraph, the London club's negotiations for a deal to sign De Ligt are progressing in a positive manner. The report further states that Juventus have softened their £102m valuation due to the will of the player.

The Blues are also prepared to allow winger Christian Pulisic or forward Timo Werner to move in the opposite direction as part of the deal.

The south-west London club are also in talks with Manchester City to re-sign left-footed defender Nathan Ake. Both De Ligt and Ake are "high up on the club's immediate agenda", as per the aforementioned report.

According to acclaimed transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the Blues are also monitoring Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly and Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde.

Meanwhile, the Chelsea are also reportedly interested in Lens right-back Jonathan Clauss [via The Sun] and Wolverhampton Wanderers left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri [via The Sun].

Southampton keen on signing Chelsea's Colwill

Ahead of the 2022-23 season, the Blues are expecting a complete overhaul of their defense. Earlier, Antonio Rudiger joined Real Madrid on a free transfer and now Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso are also reportedly on their way out of Stamford Bridge. Andreas Christensen has also announced his decision to leave the club.

According to The Athletic, Southampton are now monitoring the situation of Chelsea centre-back Levi Colwill, who had an impressive loan spell at EFL Championship side Huddersfield Town last season.

Southampton signed Chelsea defender Tino Livramento last season on a permanent deal. The young right-back proved to be an exciting signing for the Saints. They also loaned Blues forward Armando Broja for one season.