Chelsea are ready to fund the signing of Juventus defender Matthijs De Ligt this summer, under one condition.
The 23-year-old could be available as the Blues look to rebuild their backline following departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
According to the Telegraph, Chelsea are willing to fund the signing of De Ligt if Tuchel decides he wants the defender.
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The report states that if the German head coach decides that De Ligt is a better option than other targets, such as Josko Gvardiol, Chelsea will be ready to fund the move.
Chelsea have reportedly identified two targets in RB Leipzig’s Gvardiol and Sevilla’s Jules Kounde as they look for defensive reinforcements.
However, recent reports state that the Blues are also monitoring Juventus defender De Ligt, who has a £120m release clause in his contract.
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It’s unclear as to whether Chelsea would have to match this fee to open negotiations with the defender but Tuchel’s side were handed hope as the Dutch international openly criticised the ‘sporting project’ in Turin.
"There are ongoing conversations between me and Juventus. Right now I am focused on how I perform on the pitch, once the right moment arrives I will decide to extend or to look further,” he said.
"I look at the sporting project. Ending fourth for two years in a row is not good enough, Juventus knows this too. So being Juventus, we have to make steps. I’m a Juventus player so I’m focused on that."
As things stand, Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah, Azpilicueta and Malang Sarr are the only senior central defenders currently at the club, with the likes of Levi Colwill and Ethan Ampadu set to return for pre-season.
With Boehly promising to allow Chelsea head coach Tuchel to ‘take the lead’ on transfer business in the summer, it is down to the German to decide whether he would prefer to sign De Ligt over alternative targets.
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Tuchel is preparing to rebuild his squad in the summer transfer window as he looks to close the gap to Manchester City and Liverpool in the Premier League, desperately needing to bring in at least two defenders ahead of the new season, previously admitting that he will delay his holiday plans to focus on recruitment.
"No, it's impossible. Cannot go on holiday, no. There are too many things to clarify and give an opinion. Of course, nowadays, you can have meetings on Zoom so it's not necessary to do everything in person," he said.
"But even in holidays, it's also normal in a situation like ours, that you stay in contact and you have the possibility with Zoom and Facetime to have calls, share opinions and move forward because we need to."
Featured Image Credit: Gruppo Editoriale LiveMedia / AlamyTopics: Chelsea, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Matthijs De Ligt, Juventus, Thomas Tuchel, Todd Boehly