Juventus' Matthijs de Ligt 'wants Premier League move'

The Netherlands international arrived in Turin for a £77m fee from Ajax in the summer of 2019 and has since been a mainstay of the Bianconeri defence under Andrea Pirlo and Massimiliano Allegri.

However, De Ligt's contract at the Allianz Stadium now only has two years left to run, and the 22-year-old's long-term future is shrouded in uncertainty.

A Premier League move has been strongly mooted for the centre-back, who has been linked with Chelsea and a reunion with ex-Ajax coach Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.

Juve have been attempting to ward off interest in De Ligt with a new contract, but the Turin giants' efforts will seemingly not bear fruit.

According to Correire dello Sport, De Ligt has no interest in renewing his contract with the Old Lady and has informed the club of his desire to seal a Premier League transfer in the coming weeks.

De Ligt's existing Juventus contract is understood to include a mammoth £98.8m release clause, but the Dutchman's representatives want the Old Lady to accept a figure closer to £68.7m to sanction his exit.

De Ligt - who is understood to be the highest earner in the Juventus squad with a base yearly salary of €8m (£6.9m) - could therefore be set to leave Juventus having registered eight goals and three assists in 117 appearances for the club in all tournaments.

The 2021-22 season saw the 22-year-old score three goals and set up one more in 42 outings, making 29 starts in the Serie A season, and his departure would further deplete Allegri's defensive ranks after Giorgio Chiellini left for Los Angeles FC.

De Ligt has won the Scudetto, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana during his three years in Turin, but Chelsea and United are not expected to be the only teams in the running for his signature.

A separate report from the Italian outlet - via the Liverpool Echo - states that Liverpool are also ready to take advantage of De Ligt's contract impasse at Juventus, in spite of the expectation that Joe Gomez will now stay at Anfield this summer.

In contrast, Chelsea have already lost Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger on free transfers, while Cesar Azpilicueta could still leave the London club amid continued links with Barcelona.

Thomas Tuchel's side are said to be at the head of the queue for De Ligt, who became Eredivisie champion and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League under new Man United coach Ten Hag at Ajax.

Man United could be set to lose Phil Jones, Axel Tuanzebe and Eric Bailly this summer, while Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire came under criticism for their performances last term.

The Red Devils are on the hunt for alternative centre-back targets after being turned down by Jurrien Timber, whose Ajax teammate Lisandro Martinez is also understood to be on Man United and Arsenal's radar.