Chelsea dealt double transfer blow as Juventus plan to pair Matthijs de Ligt with Kalidou Koulibaly
According to Italian news outlet Gazzetta dello Sport via Football Italia (h/t Football.London), Chelsea have been dealt a double blow in their pursuit of Matthijs de Ligt with Kalidou Koulibaly as Juventus are planning to pair them in Turin. This news would undoubtedly give a headache to those in West London due to their current circumstances.
De Ligt and Koulibaly have been on the Blues’ shortlist of options comprising potential targets to strengthen their defence this summer. However, signing the defensive duo could be out of the cards following this latest update. Juve are looking to prepare for life after their tried and trusted backline with a different pairing moving forward.
Giorgio Chiellini has departed for MLS, while Leonardo Bonucci would need to be replaced sooner rather than later. That prompted the Bianconeri to restructure their defence leading to this situation. Thomas Tuchel’s side would be concerned by this latest setback, so it will be interesting to see how they respond in the coming days.
What should Chelsea do?
Prising away de Ligt would have been quite difficult anyway because of his massive price tag worth £86million. As such, this blow would probably not have affected us as making reasonable signings should be the way to move forward after our failures with big-money additions in the past.
Now, it looks like the Dutchman is in line to remain in Italy, having engaged in new talks regarding a contract renewal. Hence, it would be best if we end our interest in the 22-year-old as several factors make him unattractive at this moment.
As for Koulibaly, things are quite different as he is rated at just £36million, making him a better proposition indeed. Being 30 years of age, he is quite experienced in playing in the top flight, and his aggressive and imposing stature in defence makes him an ideal replacement for Antonio Rudiger.
As such, losing the Senegalese international would be a much more damning setback as his valuation is more manageable in this delicate time. However, it remains to be seen if Napoli, who have big aims for themselves in domestic competitions, strengthen Massimiliano Allegri’s side by letting their star defender join them.
Similarly, the African superstar may not want to get on bad terms with Napoli supporters, which is quite normal if it ever turns out to be the case. Hence, a move to West London would not offer such risk, but whether that will be possible or not would need to be seen in due time.
After all, there have been many internal transfers between some of Serie A’s fiercest rivals. Fabio Quagliarela and Gonzalo Higuain are two of the most recent names that switched Napoli directly for Juve.
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Tuchel’s side needs reinforcements after Andreas Christensen and Rudiger’s exits. Furthermore, Thiago Silva is in the latter stages of his playing career, while Cesar Azpilicueta could depart for Barcelona as well.