Bayern Munich have made an attempt to leapfrog Chelsea in their pursuit for Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt.
The Blues had identified the 22-year-old as the priority central defensive target this summer.
However, they were dealt a potential blow as Bayern Munich declared their interest in the Dutchman.
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Chelsea were said to be preparing a €70 million bid for the defender as Thomas Tuchel has given the green light to a transfer.
The 22-year-old is said to be extremely encouraged by Tuche and his ability to bring the best out of defenders such as he did with Antonio Rudiger.
However, reports from Germany believe that De Ligt would prefer to move to the Bundesliga rather than the Premier League.
There were contrasting reports from Italy, too, who state that Chelsea remain ahead in their pursuit.
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However, it has now been revealed that Bayern Munich have made a sneaky attempt to move ahead of Chelsea.
According to The Evening Standard, Bayern head coach Julien Nagelsmann and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic have personally contracted the player.
Chelsea are not thought to have done so yet, negotiating directly with Juventus as they look for a resolution to see De Ligt arrive at Stamford Bridge this summer.
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Bayern are said to not want a bidding war with Chelsea, who have made £200 million available to Tuchel this summer.
Instead, they are working on convincing De Ligt to reject a move to Stamford Bridge in favour of joining the German club.
Juventus had asked for Chelsea to pay the £103 million release clause in full, but negotiations were ongoing as the Blues attempted to lower the price by including players.
Both Christian Pulisic and Timo Werner’s names were brought up, but it now appears that Juventus would prefer a straight cash deal rather than looking for a player swap.
It remains to be seen as to whether Chelsea can fight off the interest from Bayern Munich, with De Ligt becoming available in the summer transfer window.
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Tuchel is said to want to bring a defender to his squad before they jet off to America on a pre-season tour from Saturday.
Nathan Ake has also been heavily linked with a switch to Stamford Bridge, with talks over De Ligt’s national teammate thought to be more advanced.
The pair could bring their Netherlands partnership to London for next season as Chelsea hope to challenge at the top of the Premier League.
Topics: Chelsea, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Matthijs De Ligt, Transfers, Football
Nick Emms