(Football news) According to Juventus CEO Maurizio Arrivabene, Matthijs de Ligt is expected to leave the club this summer after handing in a transfer request. In an interview, Arrivabene said “Today, keeping a player who wants to leave is impossible. It’s not always about the money and if one wants to go, you don’t just tell him: ok, go ahead. It’s hard to keep a player, but all those sitting at the table of negotiations must be satisfied. Who has the money wins.”
The Netherlands international joined Juventus from Ajax three years ago for £67.8m but has failed to justify the transfer fee. Chelsea are strong contenders to sign De Ligt, having lost Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger as free agents this summer. Thiago Silva at the age of 38 isn’t a long term option while Trevoh Chalobah and Malang Sarr are the only other options at the club. As of now, Juventus have already turned down an offer of €40m (£34.4m) million plus Timo Werner for De Ligt.
Chelsea are reluctant to trigger De Ligt’s €120m (£103m) release clause and Juventus are expected to seriously consider a proposal of €100m (£86.4m) for the Dutch defender. Meanwhile, Chelsea are also looking to get Nathan Ake back to Stamford Bridge and have set their sights on signing Raheem Sterling and Raphinha in order to compete against Manchester City and Liverpool for the Premier League title.
Also read: Clement Lenglet is set to join Tottenham on a season long loan
