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Chelsea are set to compete with Barcelona for the signature of Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt, after dropping down the pecking order at the Serie A club.
When he moved to Italy in the summer of 2019 from Ajax, he was regarded as one of the best young defenders in Europe.
However, after making 83 appearances and contributing six goals, he finds himself no longer first choice at the Allianz Stadium under Max Allegri.
Now his representatives, headed by super-agent Mino Raiola, unhappy with how he is being treated are trying to engineer a move for him next summer, with both Chelsea and Barcelona top when it comes to potential destinations.
The Catalans have a long-standing interest in the Dutch international, having attempted to sign him before he eventually joined Juventus, but given their well-documented financial problems, it is unclear how they could afford the type of fee that will be placed on his head.
Instead, that may mean Chelsea are in pole position to win the race for him, given their own need for defensive reinforcements at the end of the season.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.