Juventus are afraid they will need to cash in on Matthijs de Ligt this summer amid speculation of interest from Liverpool and Chelsea.
Juventus CEO Maurizio Arrivabene has admitted to Tuttosport it is “impossible to hold back a player who wants to leave”.
This news comes days after the Dutchman reportedly handed in a transfer request.
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De Ligt hasn’t had the best of times in Italy with Juve.
The 22-year-old was one of the hottest commodities on the transfer market when the Italian giants signed him from Ajax for €85 million in 2019.
He remains one of Europe’s biggest centre-back talents, but his stock has fallen just a tad.
De Ligt’s reduction in value comes hand in hand with Juventus’ own poor form.
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The Old Lady fell more than 10 points short of the Serie A title for the second consecutive season last time out.
Despite this, Chelsea and Liverpool are believed to have continued tracking the Dutchman through his poor form.
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Chelsea, in particular, still see enough in the former Ajax man to believe he’s worth pursuing this summer.
The Dutch centre-half has a release clause worth around £100 million, but it’s believed Juventus would be willing to sell for less if de Ligt were to push for an exit.
Liverpool have been long-term admirers of de Ligt, who is Virgil Van Dijk’s international team centre-back partner, and could be forced into formalising their interest if Chelsea bid for him.
At the moment, the Reds appear unlikely to spend big again this transfer window after the £85 million signing of Darwin Núñez. However, this opportunity could be viewed as too enticing not to take.
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Virgil Van Dijk and Joel Matip are now both on the wrong side of 30, and Jürgen Klopp will be thinking about who he wants to partner Ibrahima Konaté in his defence in the future.
De Ligt could be viewed as an ideal replacement for Van Dijk as and when Klopp feels it is necessary for a refreshment in his backline.
Being able to guarantee first-team football straight away, Chelsea are in the driving seat with this one, but Liverpool surely won’t give them a free run at de Ligt.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Matthijs De Ligt, Juventus, Liverpool, Liverpool Transfer News & Rumours, Chelsea