Chelsea transfer window round-up: June 28 to July 11
2. Chelsea faces stiff competition for Matthijs de Ligt
Just a couple of weeks ago, news broke that Chelsea was interested in signing Juventus centerback Matthijs de Ligt. The Netherlands international has not had the best of times in Italy since signing from Ajax for £77 million, but he’s still seen as one of the best young defenders in world football. The 22-year-old has a release clause of £103 million inserted in his contract, which is what Juventus was initially demanding for the in-demand centerhalf.
The Turin giants have become open to reducing its monetary demands after seeing Chelsea’s willingness to include players in the deal. While Juventus has moved away from swap deals, de Ligt has displayed a desire to depart. The first bid Chelsea made was said to be Timo Werner plus £40 million and the second bid was for £50 million-plus £7 million in bonuses. Both of these bids were rejected by Juventus as the club changed its mind when it comes to including players in the deal due to some issues with taxes. Juventus is now insisting to start negotiations at £85 million for de Ligt. Now just as Chelsea backed away from the deal to think about a move some more, Bayern Munich has come in.
The German giants are now trying to convince the representatives of de Ligt to reject any approach from Chelsea. In recent days, Juventus has reportedly not talked to anyone from Chelsea as Boehly is a bit tied up. This means the Italian club is only talking with Bayern about de Ligt. Neither Bayern Munich nor Chelsea has made its first official bid yet and that is what Juventus is waiting for as de Ligt is fine with moving to either of the two clubs. De Ligt is the priority target in defense for Tuchel, so don’t expect Chelsea to go away without a fight. However, the Blues will only complete the deal if it makes sense financially. Expect this deal to drag on for a bit and to be honest, Bayern Munich seems to be the frontrunner right now.
Chelsea seems to be intensifying its efforts for Manchester City’s Nathan Ake, with whom the club has agreed personal terms and the player is willing to make the move. The fee is expected to be around £41 million and Man City will only go through with the deal once it has secured the agreement for a new defender. If the Blues fail to land de Ligt, it is said that they will sign Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli, with players like Presnel Kimpembe and Kounde also on their list.