Chelsea 'willing to offer Timo Werner in Matthijs de Ligt deal'

Chelsea are reportedly willing to offer Timo Werner as part of a player-plus-cash deal for Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt.

De Ligt's long-term future has been the subject of much speculation in recent weeks, with Juve so far trying and failing to tie the 22-year-old down to fresh terms.

De Ligt is now understood to have informed Juventus that he will not be signing a new deal and is pining for a move to the Premier League, with his current deal due to expire in 2024.

Chelsea are rumoured to be at the head of the queue to sign the Netherlands international this summer, as Thomas Tuchel plans for life without Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger.

However, Liverpool and Manchester United are also being tipped to take advantage of De Ligt's situation in Turin, but the Red Devils' lack of Champions League football could hinder a move for the defender.

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In order to steal a march on their rivals in the race for De Ligt, Sky Sports News claims that Chelsea are prepared to let Werner join the Old Lady as part of a move for the Dutchman.

The report adds that De Ligt possesses a £103m release clause in his Juventus contract, and the Turin club will demand a nine-figure sum if they are to sanction a straight-cash sale.

The Blues will instead try to drive the price down and are formulating a bid of £38m plus Werner, who has largely failed to live up to expectations since his £47.7m move from RB Leipzig in 2020.

The 26-year-old has scored 23 goals and set up 21 more in 89 appearances for Chelsea in all tournaments, including 11 strikes and six assists from 37 outings in the 2021-22 season.

However, Werner only scored four goals in the Premier League last term and made the starting XI in just 15 games in the top flight, while he was an unused substitute on a further seven occasions.

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Meanwhile, De Ligt has been an integral member of the Juventus defence since arriving from Ajax in a £77m move three years ago, racking up 117 appearances and eight goals thus far.

The Netherlands international has won the Scudetto, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana during his time at the Allianz Stadium and started 29 Serie A matches for Massimiliano Allegri's side last term.

Chelsea have already seen Rudiger and Christensen depart as free agents this summer, with the former signing for Real Madrid, while Christensen is expected to be confirmed as a Barcelona player soon.

Cesar Azpilicueta also continues to be linked with an exit amid interest from Camp Nou, where Sevilla's Jules Kounde - a long-time target of Chelsea - supposedly has his heart set on a move to.

Werner may not be the only Chelsea attacker set for a switch to Italy's top flight, as Hakim Ziyech is rumoured to be in talks over a move to AC Milan.