Matthijs De Ligt could very well be on his way out of Juventus, as he looks to submit a formal transfer request according to multiple reports.
Juventus could be in for a great mess, as their 22-year-old “star” Dutch defender is moving ever so close to an exit, following the departure of Paulo Dybala earlier on in the summer. De Ligt joined the Old Lady on a 5-year-deal in the summer of 2019, following an explicit season as the Ajax captain. 3 year hence, now, it looks as if the Dutchman is packing his bags in search of new pastures elsewhere.
His 5-year contract is all set to run out in 2024, but it seems as if De Ligt wants out right now. As far as it is concerned, Juventus have put a heavy release clause of around £103m. So, if a club wants to gain the services of the Dutchman, then they must reach an agreement with Juve and meet the release clause of the player as well.
While it seems a huge sum to meet out on – given De Ligt’s recent dip in form, but there remain at least one of the major English clubs who are really interested to get the services of the young Dutch defender in the summer, before moving to the new season.
What is being reported?
According to multiple reports, and recently by the Guardian, Chelsea have their sights set on the Dutchman Matthijs De Ligt, in order to bolster their defence, so much so that, now their priority target is no longer Kounde, it’s the former Ajax skipper. Chelsea’s defensive pair is going out this summer, as Christensen and Rudiger are moving to Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively.
There have been other rumours as well, linking the Dutchman to Manchester United, given his connections with Ten Hag. But it seems as if those are really just some vague rumours, without any strong base. So, as far as the move for De Ligt is concerned, it could be to the Bridge, but even that move is looking a bit dicey.
As mentioned above, De Ligt’s release clause stands huge with £103m, and the sum is huge to meet out on for someone who has been performing below par. Although, some transfer insiders have also mentioned that Chelsea might offer one of Werner/Pulisic along with the £38m, but it seems as if the Old Lady would prefer an only-cash transfer bid for their Defender. And this makes it a hard buy for Boehly and co.
Author’s Take
A defender is surely on his way to Stamford Bridge. But, it remains to be seen who it really is. With Rudiger and Christensen’s departure, it became ever so factual that the Blues’ are going to go all-out for a solid defender to partner up with Silva. But, the question is, How far are they willing to go?
Realistically speaking, Matthijs De Ligt’s £103m release clause is massive! Even if the Blues’ are ready to spend that much, and then don’t do any other spendings in the summer- it just won’t take the fact away that they spent over 100 million on a defender, who is not even in his best of forms. De Ligt is going through a lowkey average spell, and way below his standards – at least from what we saw at Ajax, this is nothing. He has age by his side – true.
And another true statement is that Tuchel would love to have him in his squad. But, all being said, it depends upon the agreement. What, really, is agreed upon by the two parties. And it might all come down to Chelsea’s negotiating powers, will they be able to convince Juventus to settle for a player+cash offer or not?
