Chelsea could reportedly be in a good position to seal the transfer of Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt next summer if the Italian giants miss out on qualification for the Champions League.
The Turin outfit don’t look the dominant force they once were, having slipped to fourth place in Serie A last season and now sitting in 7th place in the table.
Interestingly, Chelsea also thrashed them 4-0 in their recent Champions League clash, so why wouldn’t De Ligt – linked with the Blues by Calciomercato – be keen on a move to Stamford Bridge?
Calciomercato’s report suggests Chelsea want De Ligt to replace Antonio Rudiger, who is nearing the end of his contract, and it’s certainly easy to imagine the Netherlands international could be the perfect replacement.
Although losing Rudiger would be a big blow for Chelsea, De Ligt is another of the finest defenders in Europe, and it’s encouraging from a CFC point of view that Juve could realistically have to let him go.
Chelsea fans may well be keen to keep an eye on how Juventus perform for the rest of the season, but if they cannot rise out of their slump then we could have a major De Ligt saga on our hands in the summer.
More must-reads: