Transfer Talk: Blues offered De Ligt as Gunners face losing young star

Chelsea have been offered the chance to sign Juventus starlet Matthijs de Ligt.

Juve are desperate to offload De Ligt, 22, due to his mammoth £280,000-per-week wages.

And Stamford Bridge could be the perfect destination with the Blues keen to strengthen their defensive options. 

They failed to sign Sevilla’s Jules Kounde during the summer and now contract talks with Andreas Christensen have broken down.

Despite Trevoh Chalobah’s emergence it is an area Thomas Tuchel wants to bolster.

Goal report De Ligt’s agent Mino Raiola has offered Chelsea the Dutchman as he looks to move him away from Turin at the end of the season. 

A £130million release clause will kick in when the campaign draws to a close but Juve are likely to be happy just to recoup the £67.5m they spent on the centre-back in 2019.

De Ligt was linked with both Manchester United and Manchester City before opting to join the Italian giants. 

Barcelona have also been rumoured to be interested in recent weeks as the battle for De Ligt’s signature intensifies. 

Saliba aims for Gunners exit

Arsenal may have to cash in on William Saliba at the end of the season. 

Tipped to reach the very top, the centre-back is currently starring on loan for Marseille in France.

The Ligue 1 side do not have the option to sign Saliba permanently but the Gunners will struggle to keep him regardless.

Saliba, 20, feels underappreciated by Mikel Arteta — despite being labelled one of French football’s ‘great hopes’ by Marseille boss Jorge Sampaoli.

Arsenal paid Saint-Etienne £27m to sign Saliba in 2019 but he has yet to make an appearance for them.

And the Gunners angered him at the end of 2019-20 by refusing to let him play in the French Cup final after being loaned back to his former club. 

His initial deal ran out two weeks prior to the final and Arsenal would not pay the French club the further £2.25m they would be owed.

And now The Sun claim Arsenal could have little choice but to sell the youngster next summer.

In other news

Dele Alli’s Tottenham future is up in the air again as he has been left out of tonight’s squad for the Carabao Cup tie at Burnley, according to the Mail.

Torino star Andrea Belotti will be available on a free next summer after refusing to sign a new deal, which the Sun say will interest Tottenham and Arsenal.