Chelsea are “serious” about big name defender

Chelsea need defenders this summer, and even once the deal for Jules Kounde is completed, we expect the chase to continue.

One of the big names that has been mentioned so far is Matthijs de Ligt of Juventus.

He’s an expensive target at a big team, and usually we wouldn’t give Chelsea much of a hope of signing him, but his contract situation makes things interesting.

CalcioMercato describe his renewal as proceeding at “walking pace,” and hints that the defender wants his new deal to bring his release clause down to €80m, in exchange for smaller bonuses.

Liverpool are also listed as an interested party, but after spending so much on Darwin Nunez this week, they may not have the budget to outbid us.

We still expect De Ligt to prove too expensive for a move this summer, but this move now certainly feels closer than it ever has before.