The saga involving Matthijs de Ligt continues to rumble on and it remains a hot topic off debate for Juventus fans. It is even more so for Chelsea fans, who have witnessed a new takeover and a complete structural change of the side in recent weeks.
The most curious aspect involving De Ligt is that Juve spent €85 million to sign him when he was seen as the future of the club. He could have only so if Juventus had included him in a solid structure and coherent technical project. Instead, they hired three managers in three different seasons and, at times, the Dutch defender looked confused.
To sell him now – when he hasn’t yet fulfilled his true potential and there is very limited room for profit, may not make much sense for a club that is losing Paulo Dybala and has already lost Giorgio Chiellini. They could well keep the Dutchman and see him reach the peak next season, as the club head into a new revolution.
As things stand though, Timo Werner’s profile is on the table in the negotiations with Chelsea. Massimiliano Allegri is a fan of versatile forward who can play across the front three in a variety of shapes. And the club need another striker who can play wide, considering the Federico Bernardeschi is also departing.
Werner can be devastating on the counter-attack and his career has shown that. It is a trait which Allegri would certainly rate, considering his transition-based approach to the game.
Juve will not get a like-for-like De Ligt replacement right away but links with Kalidou Koulibaly refuse to go away. No player is irreplaceable in the team, if the scouting is done right and if the replacement is profiled perfectly. While Juve have been the opposite of that in recent years, they need to have a plan for when they lose De Ligt.
If their replacement for De Ligt is right, a player like Koulibaly or Gleison Bremer would make perfect sense, then they should not hesitate to get cash and Timo Werner from Chelsea, provided that the Blues offer more than the current €40m.
