Transfers: Blues submit opening offer for 22-year-old Serie A star
Chelsea submit £69m offer for Juventus defender Matthijs De Ligt Chelsea and Juventus remain in negotiations for Matthijs de Ligt, who has emerged as the top defensive target for the Boehly-Clearlake administration. The 22-year-old is believed to be keen on a move away from Turin this summer. Juventus CEO Maurizio Arrivabene recently commented while being asked on De Ligt’s situation that it is “impossible to keep players when they want to leave the club”, but iterated that all three parties in the negotiations have to be satisfied.
De Ligt has a £103m (€120m) release clause in his contract and Juventus are expecting an offer in that region, or at least close to it. The probability of a player+cash deal, involving the likes of either Christian Pulisic or Timo Werner going the other way, has been discussed
Matthijs de Ligt is keen on leaving Juventus this summer. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)According to Simon Phillips of Talk Chelsea via Rob Pratley (h/t football.london), Chelsea have submitted an opening offer of £69m, with £60m being direct and £9m in add-ons. It’s also being said that any deal involving Christian Pulisic or Timo Werner is likely to be a separate deal, with Juventus keen on ensuring they get the maximum monetary compensation possible for De Ligt.
The Dutchman joined Juventus in the summer of 2019 in a deal that made him the most expensive defender in Serie A history. That wasn’t surprising back then, given De Ligt’s stock and accomplishments at the time
