The fact that Chelsea have 4 first team defenders out of contract this summer has meant plenty of rumours about players who might come in as well as players who might depart.
We’ve heard some rather convincing stories about links to the likes of Jules Kounde, but also some whispers about Matthijs de Ligt of Juventus.
Fabrizio Romano covered the defensive situation at the club in depth in his exclusive interview with TalkChelsea, and he certainly leant towards the feeling that it would be a very tricky deal to pull off – although he veyr much left the door open at the end.
“I’ve heard a lot of rumours about Matthijs de Ligt, but from what I’m told the player is very focused at Juventus, and Juventus have received nothing from Chelsea. It’s a difficult one, it’s very difficult. Sometimes I think that’s underrated because he’s a fantastic player, but Juventus paid €80m to Ajax, and yes a major salary too. He has a release clause next summer valued at around €122m, but I don’t see Chelsea paying that. You’re not paying €50m or €40m for him. He was valued at €80m and has played at a very high level in Serie A. But saw two years ago, one year ago from Chelsea – if they want to go big in the market they know how to do it.”
The Dutchman played against Chelsea on Tuesday night and was barely visible as waves of Blue shirts tore his team apart. It was hardly the kind of dominant defensive performance that might convince Thomas Tuchel and the transfer team that this was a player worth breaking the bank for.
Long term, he might become an option towards the end of his contract, but at current price levels, we are as convinced as Fabrizio that this looks very unlikely.
