“For 70 million euros” – Ex-Juventus director makes bold claim about selling Matthijs de Ligt amid interest from Chelsea
Former Juventus director Luciano Moggi has suggested that Chelsea target Matthijs de Ligt could be sold to raise funds for transfers this summer.
The Blues have been linked with the Netherlands international (via Football London). Moggi's latest comments could serve as a boost in their quest to sign De Ligt.
Moggi was speaking to Radio Bianconera (as reported by HITC) and he stated that the transfer could raise funds for Juventus' other targets. He, however, stressed that signing a replacement in defense could be complicated.
“Juventus has few players to put on the market and De Ligt can be offered. It is necessary to understand well to replace him because, otherwise it makes no sense to give him away. For 70 million euros (£60m), De Ligt must be sold. Allegri needs a strong team. Can his replacement be one of Bremer and (Kalidou) Koulibaly? I’d take both of them."
He added:
“We are talking about two players that would strengthen the defence: the quality of Koulibaly and the quality combined with the tactical awareness of Bremer, who is a true commander of the defence, could be a significant help too Juventus.”
According to Correire dello Sport, De Ligt is looking for a move away from Turin and Chelsea are among the clubs that have been linked with him.
#CFC 
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De Ligt and Nathan Aké, Thomas Tuchel's priorities. https://t.co/kQBg7lWdiM
As per the aforementioned HITC report, Liverpool are also said to be interested in the former Ajax captain but any move for him might have to wait until 2023.
A move to Chelsea might help Matthijs de Ligt get back to his best
Matthijs de Ligt was the inspirational leader who captained Ajax to the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League in 2018-19 despite only being 19 years old. He became the youngest ever captain to do so in the process.
This also saw him become the first defender to win the prestigious Golden Boy award and he soon sealed a big-money move to Juventus.
Things have, however, not gone to plan for the 22-year-old in Serie A since his move in 2019. He has failed to live up to the standards expected from him.
It has been a similar story for most of his teammates from that youthful 2018-19 Ajax squad. Frenkie de Jong, Hakim Ziyech and Donny van de Beek have also all struggled since making moves to bigger sides.
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De Ligt's links with Chelsea could offer him a shot at a fresh start at another club and league. The Blues are in need of new defenders and might make a bid for the Netherlands international this summer.
Antonio Rudiger joined Real Madrid this summer while Andreas Christensen is also set to leave the club.
De Ligt is still 22 years old and has a lot of time to develop into an even better defender. He could be an ideal choice to solve Thomas Tuchel's defensive needs.