Jorginho, Werner and Pulisic: Chelsea have swap deal options for De Ligt

Cameron Smith

• 3 Jul 2022 15:21 CDT
• 3 min read

Chelsea have set their sights on Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt as the solution to losing both Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.

De Ligt, 22, joined Juventus from Ajax back in 2019, and has been heavily linked with a move away from Turin this summer.

Chelsea have held an interest in the Dutchman for some time, but have stepped up their pursuit over the past few weeks.

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Jules Kounde had previously been the Blues' number one defensive target, but it seems as though he's likely to join Barcelona following Chelsea's switch of focus to De Ligt.

After buying De Ligt for €75 million, and making him the most expensive defender ever purchased in Italian football history, Juventus are unsurprisingly keen to turn a profit on the defender.

As a result they want around €85m to consider a sale. That amount had initially been his €120m release clause, but they've since reduced their asking price.

However, Chelsea would be able to further diminish the potential transfer fee by including a player in the deal. With a bloated squad and the likes of Raheem Sterling set to join, the Blues do have a number of assets that could be used in a deal.

What players could leave Chelsea for Juventus?

Upon discovering the idea of a player-plus-cash deal, Timo Werner's name was the first reportedly to be offered to Juventus. The Germany international has failed to deliver on high expectations in West London and could well move on this summer following the pursuit of Manchester City forward Sterling.

It's also been reported by 90min that Juventus have suggested Christian Pulisic could be used as a makeweight in the deal.

Juventus are aware that Chelsea are willing to include one of their stars in order to reduce the cost of signing De Ligt and are reportedly open to accepting a bid that includes either Pulisic or Werner. The American, however, is their preferred option.

As well as the forward duo, Jorginho could yet play a role. It's not believed the Italian will be used in a deal for De Ligt, but Juventus are interested in bringing him back to Serie A.

Juventus chief Federico Cherubini reportedly visited London in May to attempt to secure a deal for Jorginho, but a transfer is not yet close to completion. It's also not known whether Chelsea would be open to selling the midfielder. However, he could play a role in bringing De Ligt to Stamford Bridge.