With Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen already out the door, Chelsea will have to prioritise the signing of a defender this summer.

Thiago Silva is also reaching the latter stages of his career, so it would be no surprise to see Chelsea target multiple central defenders in the current transfer window.

According to Calcio Mercato, one man Chelsea are considering is Juventus defender De Ligt, and the London club are reportedly leading the race to sign him.

Manchester City and Liverpool are also said to be interested, but Chelsea currently holds the advantage.

De Ligt has regularly played in a back three, particularly for the Netherlands, so there’s no doubt he would suit Thomas Tuchel’s style.

Juventus are attempting to renew De Ligt’s contract this summer, but the Dutch defender is considering a move away from the club.

Chelsea may hold the advantage over the other Premier League clubs due to being able to offer guaranteed first-team football.

Manchester City and Liverpool both have a formidable centre-back pairing with adequate backups, whereas Chelsea are struggling for numbers in defence.