Chelsea are interested in signing Matthijs de Ligt (Image: GETTY)
Chelsea are considering a swoop for Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt this summer but they also have two other defensive targets on their shortlist, according to reports. The Dutchman moved to Turin in 2019 after helping Ajax reach the Champions League semi-finals under Erik ten Hag but now he could be set to explore a new challenge.
Chelsea are also after Jules Kounde (Image: GETTY)
De Ligt is currently valued at £63million by Transfermarkt and with Giorgio Chiellini off to the MLS, Juve would like to keep their star defender.
The report claims there are other names of interest to Chelsea though and one of which is a familiar target in Jules Kounde, while former Blues academy star Nathan Ake is also on their radar.
Chelsea made a £42.5m bid to sign Kounde last August but the offer was rebuffed by Sevilla.
The Frenchman is now looking to seal a move away from the Andalusian club, although his departure may have been complicated by Diego Carlos' move to Aston Villa.
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Kounde is also attracting interest from Barcelona but Chelsea are in the driving seat for his signature.
Sevilla are looking for around £60m to agree to a sale - money Chelsea do have following the completion of Todd Boehly's takeover.
Things haven't quite worked out for Ake at City after two seasons at the Etihad Stadium, despite winning two Premier League titles.
He left Chelsea to join Bournemouth on a permanent deal in the summer of 2017 before moving to City in 2020.
Ake has played in a back-three on multiple occasions for both club and country, which will make him of extra appeal to Thomas Tuchel.
Chelsea owner Boehly has warned supporters that summer spending could be dictated by Financial Fair Play, he told Bloomberg: “Financial Fair Play is starting to get some teeth and that will limit ability to acquire players at any price. UEFA takes it seriously and will continue to take it seriously. [More teeth] means financial penalties and disqualification from competitions.
“If you look at the models that are very successful, Liverpool is a great model. Liverpool generates a couple of hundred million more revenue than Chelsea and they generate earnings, so there is an opportunity to compete.”