Former Chelsea and French defender Frank Leboeuf have urged Chelsea to sign Dutch international and Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt this summer.
Juventus signed Matthijs de Ligt for €75 million in 2019 on a five years deal after impressing the season with Ajax helping them reach the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2018. De Ligt was the captain of Ajax and became the first defender to win the Golden boy award. He was also named in the FIFPRO World eleven for the year 2019.
Matthijs de Light initially struggled at Juventus but he has started to prove his worth in the last two seasons.
There are reports that Juventus had turned down Chelsea’s €40 million bid plus Timo Werner. The Old lady of Italian Football has placed an €80 million price tag on the Dutch international.
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The 24-year-old Dutch international rejected Juventus’ new contract offer which was intended to extend his stay at Juventus to 2026 and included a release clause of €120 million. Chelsea has now intensified their pursuit of the Dutch international by including Christian Pulisic in their earlier bid to sign De Light. Juventus had earlier expressed interest in signing the American international from Chelsea this summer.
Chelsea currently has only two center-backs in their squad after the departure of Antonio Rudiger, who left Chelsea on a free transfer to join Real Madrid and Barcelona bond-Andreas Christensen.
Thiago Silva, who turns 38 years in September, and Chelsea academy graduate Trevoh Chalobah are the two center-backs left in the Chelsea squad.
What did Frank Leboeuf said about Matthijs de Ligt Chelsea link?
When Frank Leboeuf was quizzed if he is concerned regarding the pace of Matthijs de Ligt forging a potential partnership with Thiago Silva at the Chelsea defense next season, The former Chelsea defender replied via ESPN saying: “t’s a fact.
“But they have other qualities. De Ligt was struggling at first at Juventus, but he showed [his quality] when playing for Ajax. He [also] showed last season that he is capable of dealing with any striker.
“With the experience of Thiago Silva, with the help of Edouard Mendy, and with N’Golo Kante in front of him, I am sure he can sort any problems out.
“It’s not the only possibility for Chelsea in central defense, we also hear about Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli, but I definitely think De Ligt will please the Chelsea fans and will do well for the club. I’d go for him, I’d definitely go for him.”
Chelsea is also closing in on Manchester City defender Nathan Ake, the Blues are reported to have tabled an offer of €40 million for the Dutch international.
Meanwhile, Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero has also urged Chelsea to sign Matthijs de Ligt over Koulibaly.
The Italian legend said via ESPN saying: “I think De Ligt has more pace and more potential than he has shown until now.
“He is playing a different way in Italy in terms of the system, in a line of four. How you address things [defensively] we do a little bit differently in Italy than in the Premier League.
“He also has the potential for physicality. He is strong, he is fast, and has no fear at all. That is why it could be a good move for Chelsea.”
Alessandro Del Piero added, “On the other hand, Koulibaly is kind of perfect at this time, because of his age. He’s 31, he knows what to do. But if you want to buy a player, go for the youngest one, because you have more time to spend [improving him].”
