Chelsea need to fill the defensive void left by Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.

Both Rudiger and Christensen departed the Blues for free this summer in favour of moves to Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively.

Unsurprisingly, the Blues, now owned by American billionaire Todd Boehly, appear to be targeting a new centre-back as a matter of priority and one name to emerge as a candidate to arrive at Stamford Bridge is Juventus’ Matthijs De Ligt.

That’s according to a recent report from TuttoJuve, who claim the five-time Premier League winners have already offered the Old Lady £34m (€40m) plus either Timo Werner or Christian Pulisic – both of whom are admired by the Serie A giants.

Even though it feels like De Ligt has been around for a lifetime, he is still just 22-years-old, and despite struggling to replicate the same form that saw him earn a £77m transfer from Ajax three years ago, it is clear the Netherlands international still has bundles of potential and could easily grow to become one of the world’s best defenders.

Chelsea’s pursuit of De Ligt is also probably aided by the fact manager Thomas Tuchel has an incredible record of improving players and the chance to work with the former PSG boss may be too much for some players to turn down.

There is still plenty of time left in this summer’s transfer window for a potential cash plus player deal to be reached so this saga remains one to watch.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Timberwolves win first series in 20 years after sweeping Suns
James Harden outduels former teammate as Clippers even series
Canucks rally to take shocking 3-1 series lead over Predators
Rangers sweep Capitals to advance to second round of NHL playoffs
Knicks shut down Sixers in final minutes to take 3-1 lead
Watch: Pacers' Myles Turner slams the door on Bucks
Women's hoops icon Candace Parker retires: Basketball world pays tribute
Falcons HC Raheem Morris addresses QB situation after curious draft pick
MLB making changes to uniforms after harsh player criticism
Four things we learned after Denny Hamlin's win at Dover
Mind-blowing stat sums up the Nuggets-Lakers series
Oilers win defensive gem to go up 3-1 on Kings
Steelers back makes revealing comment about difference in QB situation
Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry team up to win Zurich in playoff
10 notable steals from the 2024 NFL Draft
Watch: Timberwolves HC Chris Finch suffers injury in sideline collision
Watch: Bucks' Bobby Portis ejected in first quarter of Game 4
Candace Parker has one lofty post-retirement goal
NBA Coach of the Year announced
Nuggets star questionable with calf injury ahead of Game 5

Want more FC news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.