Should Chelsea break the bank for Matthijs de Ligt?

Kolkata, July 5: The rumour-mill is strong in Europe about the possibility of Juventus star Matthijs de Ligt moving out this summer.

The Dutch international is attracting plenty of interest from across the continent, but the two clubs with the strongest interest are Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

Chelsea, in particular, have been chasing the Dutchman for weeks now and Juventus are also believed to be more than willing to listen to offers. Although, the 22-year-old will certainly cost dear.

De Ligt emerged as one of the most sought-after players in the world having made a name for himself at Ajax in a very early age. It was Juventus who eventually won the race for the defender back in 2019 at a fee of more than 75 million euros.

There is no denying the fact that De Ligt has somewhat struggled to live up to the hype in Turin. Over the last three years, he has made a total of 117 appearances for the Old Lady but has not been to entirely impress at the heart of the defence.

His form improved significantly last season and it is suggested that Chelsea are ready to break the bank for him. The Blues are in a dire need of reinforcements at the back following the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen and De Ligt is reportedly their priority target.

De Ligt showed in a very early age that he is a natural leader of men. He could be exactly the defender what Thomas Tuchel needs to anchor his backline for many years to come. Still just 22, the Dutchman has his whole future ahead of himself and could do justice to his potential at Stamford Bridge.

With Thiago Silva not getting any younger and Cesar Azpilicueta potentially on his way out, the Blues could get their next leader of the defence in De Ligt. The Dutchman has already shown that he is capable of fulfilling that responsibility as is suggested from his incredible amount of experience for a player of his age.