Chelsea eye Matthijs de Ligt transfer.
As per Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport via Football Italia (h/t football.london), Juventus are interested in snapping up Chelsea defenders Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger in a double swoop this summer, opening up the path for the Blues to target the Italian giant’s own centre-back Matthijs de Ligt.
It is public knowledge that Rudier and Christensen have their contracts expiring in the summer and are set for a free move away from Stamford Bridge as things stand. As of yet, neither player has shown any indication that they are ready to commit their futures to Chelsea.
In such a situation, Juventus are looking to sign Chelsea’s defensive duo for free at the end of the season, which could open the door for the Blues to return the favour and sign de Ligt, with the Italian club looking to cash in on the player who has two years left on his current deal.
This summer could prove to be catastrophic for Chelsea, with Christensen, Rudiger, as well as club captain Cesar Azpilicueta heading out the door as free agents at the end of their contracts in the summer. Azpilicueta has been a loyal servant for the club for many years now, and his loss would be huge for the Blues to recover from.
A potential transfer domino is set to take place between Juventus and Chelsea in the summer, with defenders all being involved in the transaction. Juve manager Max Allegri is said to admire Christensen and Rudiger and would consider moving for them if the club’s main targets of Jules Kounde and Niklas Sule cannot be snapped up by the Serie A side.
However, a move for de Ligt will not come easy for Chelsea even if Allegri does not come swooping in for the Blues duo, with the Dutch defender costing up to £83m. The Italian side is obligated to pay de Ligt’s former side Ajax a sum of £25m in the next two years and this could prevent Chelsea from seeking a lower fee.
In the space of one transfer window, Chelsea could lose three senior centre-backs if the club does not make any progress with their contract negotiations before the end of the season. Rudiger especially seems to be in the prime of his career at the moment and it is sure to hurt us if we lose arguably our best player this season on a free transfer.
de Ligt could prove to be an effective replacement for our outgoing defenders, with the Dutchman proving to be a world-class talent at Juventus and Ajax, despite his relatively young age. His physicality and aggressive defending would make him an ideal fit for the Premier League, which is considered to be one of the most physically demanding football competitions in the world.
If we end up losing Azpilicueta, de Ligt is an obvious choice as a leader in defence. Having skippered Ajax on several occasions in the past, we can expect the Dutchman to grow in stature as a natural leader and replace Azpilicueta in the coming years as a potential captain of this Blues side.
Rudiger, Christensen, and Azpilicueta are manager Thomas Tuchel‘s first-choice defenders in his preferred three-man system, and it would prove catastrophic if he loses all three players in the summer. We cannot be targeting a stop-gap replacement for these players, but instead a long-term solution. The 22-year-old may be just the solution we are looking for in the summer.
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