Juventus would prefer to receive Christian Pulisic rather than Timo Werner in any potential swap deal with Chelsea for Matthijs de Ligt this summer, according to reports.
This comes as the Blues have made the Dutch defender their priority this summer, overtaking their interest in Jules Kounde.
Sevilla’s Kounde was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea previously, with Thomas Tuchel confirming their interest last summer.
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He said: “It was clear we tried for Kounde and Saul and it was very, very late but it was a very, very smooth transfer window because I had full concentration on training and on my team.”
However, it now appears that the Blues are looking into signing De Ligt instead.
Thomas Tuchel’s side have been handed a boost in any potential pursuit for the 22-year-old, too, as he criticised Juventus’ sporting project last month.
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When asked about his future, he said: "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.
“I look at the sporting project. Ending fourth in a row 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.”
Chelsea had reportedly offered Werner in a potential swap deal for De Ligt already this summer.
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The Serie A side had given Chelsea the green light to include Werner, reports stated, but it has now been revealed by The Daily Mail Plus that they would rather an alternative player.
The report states that talks have resumed over De Ligt, with Pulisic now being discussed in a player-plus-cash deal.
Juventus would ‘prioritise’ a deal for the USMNT star over a deal for Werner this summer.
This comes after Pulisic admitted that he is seeking more game time ahead of the World Cup with his national team at the end of the year.
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"As far as right now, I’m obviously just focused on what I’m doing here," said Pulisic on national team duty earlier this month. "And I’m super excited to be here. And yeah, that’s it.
"Of course, I want to get more playing time. I want to be on the field as much as I can and be the sharpest I can be and fit as well.
"I think I still got a lot of games, but it’s always something that I’m working at and trying to be regular at club level as well to put myself in the best position to be fit when I come here with the national team."
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It remains to be seen as to whether a deal can be struck as Chelsea are in desperate need of defenders following Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen’s departures.
Topics: Chelsea, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Matthijs De Ligt, Juventus, Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner, Transfers, Football
Nick Emms