Juventus chief gives telling response to Matthijs de Ligt transfer speculation

Juventus chief Maurizio Arrivabene has opened the door for Matthijs de Ligt to join Chelsea this summer - after admitting that it is "impossible" to keep a player who wants to leave the club.

De Ligt joined the Italian giants in a huge £67.8million deal back in 2019, but has struggled to live up to expectations in Turin. However, Juventus have still been keen to tie the former Ajax captain down to a bumper new deal; something that De Ligt reportedly has no interest in.

The 22-year-old still has two years left on his current, but is being courted extensively by Blues boss Thomas Tuchel, who is looking to rebuild his defence after losing both Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen this summer.

Despite Juventus' recent attempts to tie De Ligt down to a new deal, Arrivabene appears to have paved the way for the defender to leave the club - if their demands are met. The Juve CEO told Tuttosport: "It’s impossible to keep players when they want to leave the club – but all the three parties in the negotiations have to be satisfied."

Chelsea have already tried to firm up their interest in De Ligt, however, they have so far been unable to put together an adequate financial package. The Dutchman reportedly has a €120m (£103m) release clause in his contract; a figure the Blues are unwilling to meet.

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