Even prior to the start of the summer, rumors were already linking Matthijs de Ligt with an exit from Juventus.
But recently, these stories have become more concrete with every passing day, especially following the latest meeting between the club’s directors and the defender’s representative Rafaela Pimenta.
After failing to reach an agreement over a renewal, Juventus would prefer to part ways with the player (whose current deal expires in 2024) this summer, rather than allowing his value to diminish.
But while Chelsea appeared to be the favorites to sign the the 22-year-old, another European giant has suddenly overtaken them based on the latest reports from Germany and Italy.
According to Bild journalist Christian Falk (via ilBianconero), Bayern Munich are accelerating the negotiations with Juventus for de Ligt’s transfer.
The source claims that the Bavarians’ sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic met with his Bianconeri counterpart Federico Cherubini in Milan on Wednesday to discuss the deal.
Falk believes that the Bundesliga champions have thus made a bid in the region of 70-75 million euros plus bonuses.
Even though Juventus are holding out for higher figures, the negotiations are apparently sailing in the right direction.
On the other hand, Calciomercato (via ilBianconero) adds that Juventus have valued the former Ajax captain at 100 millions.
The report adds that Chelsea are once again focusing on signing Sevilla’s Jules Koundé while they are close to reaching an agreement with Manchester City for the transfer of Nathan Aké.
This could be a sign that the Blues have given up on de Ligt, leaving Bayern Munich as the ultimate favorites to sign the young defender.
