Chelsea readying fresh bid for Matthijs de Ligt

Chelsea are prepared to make a fresh transfer offer for Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt, Corriere dello Sport claims.

The Blues are keen on signing a new central defender this summer after the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.

De Ligt is their top target at the moment, and it is reported that they could make a fresh transfer bid in the upcoming week.

Their opening offer of £35 million plus Timo Werner or Christian Pulisic was rejected. Juventus prefer a straight-cash deal for De Ligt.

The Dutchman currently has a release clause of £103 million on his contract, but a fee of around £70 million could tempt them to sell him.

The 22-year-old has been a mainstay at Juventus over the past three years, but he has rejected a new deal beyond the summer of 2024.

The Bianconeri are likely to sell him at the earliest possibility as waiting for another 12 months would reduce his transfer value.