Chelsea favourites to sign Juventus contract rebel?

Chelsea could be favourites to sign Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt amid his ongoing contract stand-off.

The Dutchman is about to enter the final two years of his Bianconeri deal, and has no plans to renew unless his demands are met.

He currently has a €120 million release clause on his contract which will increase to €140m at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.

De Ligt is reluctant to put pen-to-paper on a long-term deal unless the Bianconeri lower the buy-out clause to €70-80m.

This could pave the way for his departure. Corriere dello Sport claims that the Blues will be favourites to sign him in this case.

The west London giants are planning to purchase at least one centre-back after the free transfer exits of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.

They are prepared to spend big on a marquee signing, and it remains to be seen whether they will pay a club-record fee for De Ligt.

Sevilla's Jules Kounde has been highlighted as a top target, but his upcoming hamstring operation could deter the Blues from signing him.