Chelsea’s summer target Daniele Rugani’s Juventus contract renewal talks have been halted to give the Blues a boost in their pursuit of the young Italian defender, according to Calcio Mercato.
Rugani was subject to a number of bids from Chelsea last summer as he ranked high on Maurizio Sarri’s options for the central defence role. Those bids were all rejected by the Turin giants who preferred to keep the promising defender in their ranks.
However, a series of events at the club has led to Rugani now thinking twice about committing his future to the Italian giants. The unexpected arrival of Leonardo Bonucci from AC Milan now means Rugani places fourth in the pecking order, behind Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Medhi Benatia and Andrea Barzagli and has made only one start this season.
Sarri will be tempted to go in for the young defender again after Gary Cahill is tipped to leave the club either in January or next summer with chances limited at the club now. David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger are preferred options in the two roles, while Andreas Christensen also struggles to get into the team.
