Transfer News: Chelsea draw attention to Matthijs de Ligt after Jules Kounde snub
Football.London claim Chelsea have turned their attention to Matthijs de Ligt after Jules Kounde considered turning down the Blues’ offer to force a move to Barcelona. Koundé had been linked to the London club since the start of the summer transfer window but sport (h/t Football.London) in Spain claim Barca have now replaced the Frenchman due to Chelsea’s split attention.
Thomas Tuchel is planning a team overhaul under new ownership. Antonio Rudiger has already left the club for Real Madrid while Andreas Christensen is expected to leave and join Barcelona.
Chelsea had been linked with Kounde for some time now, with the player set to move to SW6. But now that seems to have changed and the Blues have already fielded a replacement in Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt.
De Ligt moved to Juventus after a stellar season with Ajax in 2019. The Old Lady paid 75 million euros for the Dutchman’s service, making him the most expensive defender in the top flight’s history Italian.
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The 22-year-old would help solve the defense exodus to some extent. Currently, Tuchel has Thiago Silva, Malang Sarr and Trevoh Chalobah as options at the back, with the German preferring only Silva to start most chances last season.
Signing such a young and talented defender would help Chelsea solve their current defensive problem at the edge and also gain a player with the potential to lead the Blues backline for years to come. Moreover, his signing would help send a message to other rivals that Chelsea are serious despite Romano Abramovich’s exit.
However, it won’t be cheap. De Ligt has a release clause of £103million and Juventus are waiting for offers close to that figure. Chelsea are believed to have offered Timo Werner to help facilitate the deal.
The defender has accumulated huge playing experience at such a young age. Chelsea should act quickly if they are to secure his signature and have a potential squad ready by pre-season. De Ligt has a long career ahead of him and Chelsea can offer him a chance to have his own legacy.
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Apart from all that, he is a leader on the pitch and given our lack of options at the back, he would be a regular starter under Tuchel. It seems like a game in heaven for Chelsea fans, but as the Kounde deal showed, it’s not easy to sign a quality player these days.
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