Chelsea considering part-exchange deal to sign Matthijs de Ligt

Premier League giants Chelsea are reportedly plotting a player-plus-cash deal to sign Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus, with Timo Werner on offer.

According to reputed Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Chelsea are planning a part-exchange deal to sign Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus, which would see Timo Werner go the other way. The Blues are planning an offer worth €25 million to €30 million plus Werner for the Dutch defender, their priority defensive target.

Chelsea have been on the hunt for central defensive signings this summer after losing two centre-backs to La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona. While Antonio Rudiger joined Los Blancos, Andreas Christensen is reportedly on the verge of joining the Catalan giants.

Chelsea are confident of completing a deal for Sevilla defender Jules Kounde but need at least one more top-level addition to the backline. The German tactician has thus made de Ligt his priority target, and the club’s board is working on the deal.

However, as per Gianluca Di Marzio, Chelsea’s current offer of €25-30 million in cash along with Werner is deemed ‘too little’. The Blues are prepared to improve their offer to around €40-45 million in cash along with the struggling German forward, but even that might not be enough for them to sign the Dutchman.

Juventus want Chelsea to trigger the Dutch international’s release clause, and there are question marks over their ability to match Werner’s current wages. The struggling German international currently earns around €11 million per year, and the Bianconeri will not be able to match that.

The attacker seems keen to make the move to Italy, but discussions are ongoing and a decision is yet to be reached. On the other hand, de Ligt is ready to join Chelsea as well, but the Blues are still some way off striking a deal with Juventus.

The Blues are yet to sign a player this summer window, which could partly be blamed on their ownership situation. But with that now cleared, Chelsea will want to start closing out some deals quickly as Manchester City and Liverpool have raced away in that department as well.