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Chelsea are monitoring the situation of Juventus central defender Matthijs de Ligt.
Reports in Italy suggest that the Turin club are trying to extend the 22 year old’s contract beyond its current expiry date of 2024 in order to ward off interest from other clubs.
They want to tie him to a new deal until 2026, which would also see his release clause, which can be activated in 2023 to £70 million, and not, coincidentally, lead to a almost 30% salary reduction for the Dutch international.
De Ligt is unhappy about these proposed terms and has a choice to make. Try to move elsewhere now, with Chelsea among the interested suitors, or stay with the Serie A side until next year.
Juventus know that selling him now Is a double-edged sword – it will bring in much needed funds but with Giorgio Chellini having left the club, leave them with a void in the centre of defence.
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.