Chelsea have reportedly identified Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt as their top transfer target.
The Blues have tied Thiago Silva down to a new contract extension, but uncertainty lingers over the futures of Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta.
As a result, Thomas Tuchel is expected to be in the market for a new central defender in 2022, with Jules Kounde still thought to be on the Blues' radar following their summer failure to land the Sevilla man.
However, La Repubblica claims that Chelsea are willing to break the bank to sign De Ligt in the next transfer window, with the European champions 'crazy' about the former Ajax man.
The report adds that De Ligt's stint with Juventus could very well come to an end this summer, and a fee of €65m (£54.3m) will be required to secure his signature, with his deal in Turin not due to expire until 2024.
Barcelona and Bayern Munich are also thought to be in the race for the 22-year-old, who has struck six goals and set up two more in 98 games for Juventus since arriving in 2019.
Ben Knapton
