Juventus have rejected Chelsea’s bid for their defender Matthijs de Ligt, according to reports.
The Old Lady, according to reports, were offered the chance to exchange de Ligt with two Chelsea players, Timo Werner and Christian Pulisic but have rejected the offer from the Blues.
The London side are looking to strengthen their squad after a change of ownership that saw American billionaire Todd Boehly take over the club.
The new owner reportedly wants to back his manager Thomas Tuchel heavily in the summer transfer market, and the German coach has made bringing in a new defender his priority.
Dutch international De Ligt is one of the top targets for Tuchel, with the Blues holding an interest in him despite a reluctance to meet his release clause. Tuchel’s side are said to have kick-started the bidding with a player-plus-cash package worth around £40million, plus a choice of either Werner or Pulisic.
But according to the Italian newspaper Tuttosport, the Italian Serie A side have rejected that offer as they consider neither player enough to tempt them into a sale.
According to the Italian news outlet, Chelsea were conscious of the fact that Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri is looking for new strikers and so added both players to a possible deal.
But Allegri does not fancy either player with Chelsea’s attempt falling short. The Juventus boss is said to be keen on signing a more traditional No 9 possessing physicality and strength, with Werner, who has struggled in the Premier League, not fitting the bill.
Chelsea are, therefore, likely to have to submit a big cash offer to sign De Ligt, with the Juve still reluctant to offload the Dutchman.
The Old Lady values their De Ligt at around €100m (£86m), a figure which would eclipse the £75m fees that Liverpool paid to sign Virgil van Dijk from Southampton in late 2017.
