Manchester City have reportedly joined the race to sign Juventus defender Matthijs De Ligt. The defender has been linked with a move away from Serie A giants.
City are also reportedly preparing a bid for the defender. The player has two years left on his contract. However, the Juventus defender is keen on a move to Bayern Munich. Although, it is still an open race for the defender.
MATTHIJS DE LIGT AND MANCHESTER CITY TRANSFER LINKS FULL STORY
According to reports, City are keen on signing Matthijs De Ligt from Juventus. The Serie-A giants are open to selling the defender. However, they are demanding a huge fee for the center-back. They value the defender at £80m. Although, the player only having two years left on his contract, the Italian club is unlikely to get such a huge fee.
However, it seems City might offer a fee around the valuation. The report states that Pep Guardiola’s side is ready to pay £76m for Matthijs De Ligt. Manchester City are close to selling Nathan Ake to Chelsea in a £40m deal. The reports have also confirmed City will sign a center-back after selling Ake. They are also close to selling Raheem Sterling to Chelsea for £45m. This will free up the funds to sign a center-back.
THE PLAYER’S FIRST PREFERENCE IS BAYERN MUNICH
Although, there is one problem for Manchester City in the form of Bayern Munich. According to many reports, the Dutch center-back preference is to sign for Bayern Munich. Chelsea were also very keen on the defender. However, the reluctance to negotiate personal terms due to the interest of Bayern and their signing of Ake has all but ended their chase of the defender.
The Bundesliga club is currently negotiating a fee with Juventus for the defender. However, they are still struggling to agree a fee for the defender. The defender has reportedly agreed personal terms with Bayern. Juventus are targeting Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly as a replacement if the dutch defender leaves. However, Napoli have are not ready to sell him easily. They have offered him a new contract with a role on board with the club after retiring.
This looks like it is an open race from all sides. It will be interesting to see who breaks first. De Ligt joined Juventus in 2019 from Juventus. He has featured in 117 games. The defender also chipped in with 17 goals. However, he has not had the desired impact with the Italian giants.
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