Why Chelsea could rule themselves out of De Ligt race by signing Ake

Cameron Smith

• 11 Jul 2022 22:26 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsa want to sign both Matthijs de Ligt and Nathan Ake this summer as Thomas Tuchel seeks defensive reinforcements, but pursuing the latter may hurt their bid to sign the Juventus man.

Following the free transfer exits of both Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, Chelsea are looking to add depth and quality to their backline.

Related articles

Out of contract in 2022: The best free agents available on a Bosman

Football Transfer News LIVE: Tomiyasu signs new Arsenal contract

Premier League 2022/23 summer transfers: All the completed deals

With Cesar Azpilicueta's future also unknown, with Barcelona chasing him and the Blues unwilling to sell for less than €8 million, Chelsea could be left with just Trevoh Chalobah, Thiago Silva and Malang Sarr as senior centre-back's in their squad.

Levi Colwill has returned from his loan spell at Huddersfield Town and is seeking to impress, while Ethan Ampadu has also played at centre-back fairly regularly during his career and has also returned from his year abroad at Venezia in Serie A.

However, Tuchel still wants at least one new centre-back this summer, with his preference reportedly being two new arrivals in the position.

Sevilla's Jules Kounde had previously been the number one target, but Barcelona's interest and other options have mean he'd dropped down the pecking order. Chelsea are also willing to match Napoli's €40m asking price for Kalidou Koulibaly, but it seems as though De Ligt and Ake are the preferred options.

However, in chasing the Manchester City man, Chelsea may be compromised in the hunt for De Ligt.

How Chelsea may harm their De Ligt hunt

First of all, it seems as though the Dutchman favours a move to Bayern Munich rather than to Stamford Bridge anyway, with Hasan Salihamidzic "optimistic" of reaching an agreement with Juventus for the former Ajax star.

However, Chelsea's hopes of signing him if Bayern aren't able to close a deal have been dealt a blow with news than Man City are looking at the possibility of signing De Ligt if Ake is sold to Chelsea.

With Pep Guardiola's side in need of a replacement if they're to let Ake re-join the Blues, Chelsea may inadvertently harm their own chances of signing De Ligt by hunting his compatriot Ake. According to TuttoJuve, Manchester City would be ready to offer €90m to Juventus for De Ligt, funded by the potential sales of both Raheem Sterling and Ake to Chelsea.