Juventus have approved Chelsea forward Timo Werner being used in a deal which would see Matthijs de Ligt make the switch to Stamford Bridge, according to reports.
Thomas Tuchel is on the hunt for new central defenders this summer after they lost duo Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen at the end of their contracts.
De Ligt has been heavily linked with a move to the Blues, while Jules Kounde, Nathan Ake and Presnel Kimpembe have all been eyed.
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It is believed De Ligt is Tuchel's number one choice to sign in defence before the end of the summer transfer window and were given a boost last week when the 22-year-old's lawyer held a meeting with the Bianconeri over his future.
No agreement was struck over a renewal, which is Juventus' plan, and the Italian side weren't willing to lower his €120 million release clause.
Manchester City and Liverpool have also been linked but it appears as though Chelsea are leading the race to land the Dutch international.
Chelsea have been claimed to be ready to offer Werner in part-exchange as well as up to €45 million in cash to bring De Ligt to England.
Juventus want a higher cash sum for the central defender, in excess of €30 million additionally to Chelsea's reported proposal plans.
Fresh reports out of Italy by Daniele Longo have confirmed that Juventus have given the go ahead for Werner to be involved in a deal for De Ligt.
But the report adds that there is 'still distance' on the fee which Chelsea would pay to the Old Lady in addition to sending Werner the other way to Italy.
However, Chelsea are convinced they will be able to close a deal to land Tuchel his priority defensive this summer.
Todd Boehly, Chelsea co-owner, is ready to back Tuchel and has started to do so ahead of their return to Cobham for pre-season training next month.
The defence and attack are of priority to Chelsea with up to six signings arriving.
A source close to the Boehly and Clearlake Capital camp told The Telegraph recently: The key is to basically work with Tuchel to come up with the best players that are available.
"We really want to make sure we have a good defence. We've got depth in midfield. We're not desperate for an out-and-out striker.
“Fortunately, there's reasonable opportunities in the market right now in order to satisfy the fans' desire to be competitive.
"I think it's a combination of moves and there's five or six that we're going to look to make.”
Topics: Timo Werner, Matthijs De Ligt, Juventus, Chelsea, Football, Thomas Tuchel
Matthew Debono