Chelsea eyeing move for Serie A centre-back to solve defensive crisis

Former Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger was officially unveiled as a Real Madrid player on Monday after joining the La Liga champions on a free transfer. 

The German was in sensational from for the Blues last term, and his departure has left a void to fill for Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel.

Chelsea’s problem is worsened by the departure of Andreas Christensen who has already left the club, and the potential exits of both Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta in the coming weeks.

Tuchel has been pushing hard to secure a move for Sevilla defender Jules Kounde over the past year, but it now appears that he has identified another target to bolster his backline.

As per Sky Sports, the Blues are interested in signing Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt.

De Ligt is being monitored by Chelsea

The Dutchman was part of the Ajax side that were seconds away from reaching the Champions League final in 2019, and secured a move to Serie A for more than £75 million shortly after.

He has been a regular in Turin since then, but could now be on his way out of Italy with Chelsea circling.

The 22-year-old has a £103 million release clause in his current contract, which is due to expire in the summer of 2024, although it is not clear whether or not Chelsea are likely to meet that figure.

The Netherlands international has made 117 appearances for Juventus – the exact same amount that he made for Ajax – and won the Serie A title in his first season with the club.

Since he arrived in Italy, Juventus have not made it past the last 16 of the Champions League.