It’s been reported that Chelsea may need to pay Juventus their full asking price if they want to complete a deal for Matthijs de Ligt.
According to Alfredo Pedulla, the club will need to increase their original bid by around £8.5m if they are to hold off interest from Bayern Munich.
It appears the Dutchman will be leaving the Old Lady this summer, after a breakdown over a new deal following a disagreement on the player’s future release clause.
This originally sparked the Blues’ interest, with them quickly announcing themselves as front runners to complete a big-money deal.
Chelsea £8.5m away from De Ligt
However, Bayern’s reported interested coming at the start of this month has thrown the deal in disarray, with today’s report claiming they have made a bid of £64m with bonuses, with Juventus requesting £68m up front.
The report goes on to say that the Blues would need to increase their deal by £8.5m to meet the Italian giant’s demands.
Blues fans will be worried at another rumour of a transfer being hijacked by a European side, with Barcelona already plaguing the club on a number of occasions.
Despite agreeing a fee with Leeds United over the transfer of Raphinha, the deal has gone quiet due to the Brazilian’s desire to play under Xavi.
The Catalan side have also threatened to hijack the long-awaited deal for Jules Kounde from Sevilla, with the Frenchman still reportedly keen on a move to West London.
De Ligt would no doubt provide a dominant figure for the Blues to build a defence around for the next decade, with his ability on the ball also making him perfect for how Chelsea play.
On the other hand, a deal for fellow Dutchman Nathan Ake, who is also linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, could be a more beneficial signing for the Blues, with his Premier League experience mixed with his ability to directly replace Antonio Rudiger on the left of defence going his way.
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