Chelsea are reportedly set to battle it out with Real Madrid for the signature of Matthijs de Ligt next summer.
According to Italian news outlet Calciomercato, the La Liga club are interested in signing the Netherlands international from Juventus after Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane both leaving the Santiago Bernabeu over the recently-concluded summer transfer window.
De Ligt, who will have two years remaining on his contract with the Old Lady by the time next summer comes along, has also been linked with a move to the Blues in recent days, with Thomas Tuchel clearly keen to bolster his defensive options.
Chelsea were interested in signing Jules Kounde over the summer, but could not agree on a price with Sevilla for the France defender - meaning their attention could turn elsewhere at the end of the 2021/22 season.
De Ligt, who is still only 22-years-old, could be an option for the west London club and has been compared to Virgil van Dijk in the past.
Liverpool defender Van Dijk has often been touted as one of the strongest centre-backs in world football and if Chelsea were to sign someone even close to his level, then it would be a welcome addition for Tuchel.
Jamie Carragher, when speaking a couple of years ago, was told that De Ligt can go on to become an even better defender than his Holland team-mate.
"Pierre van Hooijdonk is next door doing the Dutch TV and I was just having a chat with him before. The feeling in Holland is De Ligt will be better than Van Dijk," Carragher said, via Tribuna, in 2019.
"Van Dijk at De Ligt’s age hadn’t even been thought about of playing for Holland. It took until it came to the Premier League, not even at Celtic, where he started to establish himself in the Dutch team. So what De Ligt’s doing at 19 is unbelievable."
De Ligt, who is valued at £67.5million on Transfermarkt, is very highly-rated around Europe, and former Juventus defender Sergio Brio called him the best defender in Serie A over the summer.
Brio said: "De Ligt is the best defender in Serie A. There isn’t a more formative league for defenders than ours.
"What excites me about De Ligt, moreover, is his age. He is not yet 22, and he is very strong. He can become a real phenomenon, because experience is the factor that improves a defender the most.
“De Ligt will acquire more malice and concentration, becoming stronger and stronger.
"I have always considered him the real great signing of Juventus in the recent years. Even more important than Ronaldo."
