Chelsea have been offered the opportunity to sign Juventus central defender Matthijs de Ligt, according to reports.
The Blues were keen on improving their defensive options in the summer and even came close to signing Jules Kounde before Sevilla raised their asking price in the summer window.
Chelsea have retained their interest in Kounde but Sevilla are holding want £68.5m which the Premier League side refused to match in August.
- Romelu Lukaku posts injury update on ankle injury suffered against Malmo
- Edouard Mendy reveals how Chelsea snub can help him become a better goalkeeper
- Cristiano Ronaldo reveals who to blame for Man Utd’s 5-0 defeat to Liverpool
The Champions League holders are now exploring alternatives and according to Goal, De Ligt could now be a possibility as Juve are keen on a deal.
The report claims that the Serie A giants are ‘ready to offload’ De Ligt as they want his £280,000-per-week salary off their wage bill.
In an interview with Italian media just last month, De Ligt’s agent, Mino Raiola, made it clear that the Netherlands defender could be sold next summer.
‘De Ligt could also leave Juventus at the end of the season,’ said Raiola.
‘This is how the market works, there are many clubs who are interested in his services.’
De Ligt, who moved to Juventus from Ajax in a £67.5m deal in 2019, has been splitting his playing time with Giorgio Chiellini this campaign.
According to reports, De Ligt currently has a €150m (£126m) release clause in his deal with Juventus which will become active next summer.
