English Premier League giants Chelsea could miss out on the signing of Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt as German Bundesliga champions FC Bayern Munich prepares to submit a huge £76million offer for the Juventus defender.
Chelsea were leading in the race to sign Matthijs de Ligt earlier this week even though Bayern Munich showed interest in securing his services but were unable to come up with the £68million bid that Chelsea offered to the Italian outfit.
De Ligt has long been a top priority for Chelsea in the transfer market since center-backs like Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger departed the team after their contracts expired.
However, according to Goal, Bayern is now prepared to submit a bigger offer that includes £63 million up front and an additional £13 million in add-ons and bonuses. Additionally, the report states that the reigning German champions have spoken with Juventus and are now in negotiations.
De Ligt still has two years left on his Allianz Stadium contract, but it’s said that he is not keen on committing his future to the Turin team. While he still has a high financial worth, Juve are also open to selling the 22-year-old this summer or the next year.
Juventus Chief Executive Officer Maurizio Arrivabene has already hinted that De Ligt is also ready to move on, telling Tuttosport that: ‘Today, keeping a player who wants to leave is impossible. It’s not always about the money and if one wants to go, you don’t just tell him: ok, go ahead.’
🚨 Bayern Munich are continuing negotiations with Juventus for Matthijs De Ligt. ⏳
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) July 7, 2022
Talks over an initial €75M fee + €10M-€15M in bonuses.
(Source: @romeoagresti) pic.twitter.com/Ct8Gd3wBIl
Timo Werner was included in Chelsea’s transfer proposal to Juventus, but the parties were unable to come to an agreement. Instead, it’s likely that the Blues will now focus on Nathan Ake in an effort to re-sign the Dutchman. Nathan Ake joined Chelsea in 2011 and stayed with the team until 2017, participating in a number of loan stints.
He played for Chelsea in 17 senior matches overall, winning the League Cup and the Europa League. Before signing with City in 2020, Ake first switched to Bournemouth. Last season, he appeared in just 14 Premier League games for Pep Guardiola’s team.
Signing the Dutchman again may not be easy for Chelsea and Manchester City are reluctant to have any discussion about his move because they’re not ready to sell him this summer.
Meanwhile, Chelsea has already reached an agreement with Man City for the signing of Raheem Sterling and the deal will be finalized soon.
