Matthijs de Ligt 'flattered by Chelsea interest'

Juventus central defender Matthijs de Ligt has been flattered by Chelsea's interest in him, according to a report.

Chelsea have been linked with a host of defensive reinforcements over the past year due to the expiration of the contracts of Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen in June.

Now according to Sport Mediaset, Juventus's De Ligt is the latest name linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, and that the Dutchman is flattered with the interest from Thomas Tuchel's side.

The report does continue with Barcelona's interest in the defender as well, which is also a viable option for the 22-year-old.

De Ligt arrived in Turin back in 2019, when he made the move from Ajax for around £77m, and is reportedly one of the highest paid players at Juventus.

The Italian side are said to value their man at around €90m (£75.6m), and would be open to selling him in order to find a more financially-efficient replacement, which reportedly includes Chelsea's Rudiger.