Matthijs de Ligt has every intention to leave Juventus this summer and this news has put Premier League sides Manchester United and Chelsea on high alert.
His contract with Juve expires in 2024 but the defender is not ready to extend his stay and according to Gianluca Di Marzio, he wants to head to the Premier League.
“De Ligt wants the Premier League,” Di Marzio has claimed. “No to renewal … the Dutchman has asked for a transfer.
“Matthijs De Ligt, the most expensive defender in Italian football, wants a change of scene. The positions are too distant,”
“The Dutchman has asked for a transfer, and now Chelsea and Manchester United are in pole position.”
With Matthijs de Ligt looking to leave Juventus, will the Dutchman link up with Erik Ten Hag again, or will he end up with Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea? 👀 pic.twitter.com/hkZVs4mfoM
— ODDSbible (@ODDSbible) June 24, 2022
Chelsea have already made their approach by offering a cash-plus-player deal for Matthijs de Ligt, in which Thomas Tuchel is willing to send Timo Werner the other way.
There are no reports of Man United making any moves yet but since Erik ten Hag is desperate to sign a new defender we are pretty sure they will also launch a formal bid very soon.
Which move will suit Matthijs de Ligt more?
Chelsea have lost Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid and Thiago Silva is also in the final season of his Chelsea career so it makes sense why Tuchel is so eager to sign the Juventus defender.
At the same time, Timo Werner has been a major flop for Chelsea and even the German is willing to move out of the Premier League and try his luck at Juventus.
Man United are also in need of a world-class centre-back because Harry Maguire’s signing has been a waste of money and Erik ten Hag is looking to sign a pacey ball-playing central defender for the upcoming season.
If Matthijs de Ligt decides to join Manchester United then ETH will push Maguire down the pecking order in the blink of an eye so as things stand, the 22-year-old will get regular starts at both these Premier League clubs.
Chelsea or Man United: Which move will Matthijs de Ligt choose?
According to Sky Italy, Chelsea are willing to pay €45m plus Timo Werner but this offer is way off from what Juventus want for the Dutch international.
Chelsea have cooled off their interest in Jules Kounde to be able to focus on De Ligt and they are hoping to pick up the first-mover advantage.
However, the Juventus defender had his best time under Erik ten Hag at Ajax so if Man United step up their interest then Chelsea could fall down the pecking order.
His time at Juventus has been a catastrophe so he will be desperate to revive his career at the next club he joins and what better way to do that than to play under his former boss.
At this point, Chelsea are the bookmakers’ favourite to sign Matthijs de Ligt but that’s only because Manchester United have joined formally joined the transfer race.
