'It's not just about the money' - Matthijs de Ligt's potential Manchester United or Chelsea move from Juventus explained
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Updated 24/06/2022 at 09:46 GMT
Eurosport UK is given expert insight from Italy explaining why Juventus may be ready to consider selling Matthijs de Ligt to Manchester United or Chelsea this summer at a knockdown price. The 22-year-old central defender has just two years left on his current deal and could be facing a pay cut to stay with his current club.
The whole story as Boehly consortium completes Chelsea takeover
Manchester United and Chelsea may have the chance to sign Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus this summer if he does not renew his contract.
The 22-year-old Dutch international defender has a deal that is due to expire in 2024 after signing from Ajax in 2019, and with two years remaining he would be in a position to start agitating for a free transfer in the near future.
Juventus do not want to lose the player and reports this week suggested he will be given the chance to agree to an extension, otherwise he will face being sold.
Eurosport Italy’s Simone Eterno spoke to us about the situation in Italy.
How reliable is this report? Is there anywhere else reporting it?
“It's pretty reliable,” Eterno explained. “Eurosport Italy gave the news yesterday and Romeo Agresti from Goal.com, a reliable source for Juventus, revealed that the club is waiting for an answer and if it's a "no" to the renewal, he could be sold.
Why would De Ligt want to leave? Is it about money or something else?
Eterno believes that the Dutchman would leave Juventus in search of a better chance of success after his current club’s recent struggles compared to their recent achievements.
“It's not about the money. Or better: it's not just about the money,” he said. “First of all: Juventus is not competitive at the very top level anymore. De Ligt himself spoke at the beginning of June from the Netherlands' national team and, asked about the season with Juventus, said: "Fighting for fourth place is not enough".
“Then you have the type of football Juve has been playing for two years: very, very poor quality. Definitely something De Ligt was not used to, especially in his last season at Ajax when they almost reached the UCL final by playing fantastic football.
“Then, yes, you also have the money thing: nobody knows the details, but there are some rumours about a proposal for a lower salary compared to the one he has right now.”
What sort of fee would Juventus want?
There could be a relative bargain on the cards compared to the player’s release clause, claimed Eterno, who said: “There is an official release clause settled at €120 million. He cost €85million in 2019. His contract expires in June 2024. If someone comes in with an offer around €70 million, it’s very likely Juventus would sell, otherwise next summer his worth would be definitely less.
“It would be [a blow to lose him] for sure, because Juventus' bench is not that deep in terms of centre-back.”
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement