Chelsea linked with one of world’s best defenders despite conceding just once all season

Chelsea have continued the fine form that they finished last season with at the start of the new campaign, winning all but one of the seven games they have played so far. 

Thomas Tuchel’s side kept a remarkable 17 clean sheets in 21 games during the first few months of his tenure earlier this year, and conceded just four times on the way to winning a second Champions League title.

This term, the Blues are still yet to concede during open play, with Mohamed Salah’s penalty in a 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield the only goal they have let in so far.

Despite his side’s stubborn record, it appears that Tuchel is still keen on adding defensive reinforcements to his squad.

According to Calciomercato via The Mirror, the European champions are ready to turn their attention to Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt, having missed out on a number of targets over the summer.

De Ligt is reportedly a target for Chelsea

It is reported that the Dutchman is now considered to be top of the club’s wish list for the next window, and apparently has a release clause of £103 million that becomes active next summer.

The Blues missed out on Sevilla defender Jules Kounde during the summer window, and with Kurt Zouma departing for West Ham, Tuchel now has five senior centre backs remaining.

The issue, however, is that his first choice trio of Andreas Christensen, Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger are all set to be out of contract by the end of this current campaign.

The club are reportedly already in talks to tie down both Christensen and Rudiger to new long-term deals, with the pair having impressed and revived their careers since the arrival of Tuchel.

Silva, meanwhile, agreed a 12 month extension to his initial one-year contract, but it is not yet known whether or not he will remain at Stamford Bridge after May.

De Ligt joined Juventus in 2019 having impressed during his time with Dutch side Ajax.

The 22-year-old is also a seasoned international, having represented his native Netherlands on more than 30 occasions.

The report suggests that the West London side had also looked at Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos as another possible alternative.