Matthijs De Ligt ‘set to BREAK from Juventus after an explosive meeting ended his contract talks’

Matthijs de Ligt reportedly wants to leave Juventus after talks over a new contract broke down in an explosive meeting with the club.

The Dutch defender, who joined Juve in 2019 in a deal worth around £67million, has told the Italian giants that he wishes to be sold – putting the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United on red alert.

His decision could spark a bidding war and is sure to catch the attention of a host of top clubs who have previously expressed an interest in the player. 

Matthijs de Ligt could leave Juventus this summer after contract talks with the club broke down

According to Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, De Ligt will not return to the negotiating table following the fractious meeting with Juve officials.

The 22-year-old is under contract at the club until 2024 and Juve want to extend his deal to 2026.

Corriere dello Sport reports De Ligt and his camp, led by Rafaela Pimenta following the death of Mino Raiola, were unhappy with Juve’s demand that a release clause of £98million be inserted into the new deal.

The 22-year-old Dutch centre-back has reportedly told Juventus that he wishes to be sold

De Ligt has been at Juventus since making a £67million move to Italy from Ajax

De Ligt reportedly believes that figure to be too high and is looking more in the region of £68million.

There was also disagreement on wages. De Ligt is currently the highest paid player in the squad, taking home a salary of £7million with bonuses potentially rising to £10million.

The meeting could spark the end of De Ligt’s time in Italy after he signed for Juve from Ajax on a five-year contract in 2019.

Should he get his wish to leave, he could reunite with Erik ten Hag at United after the two worked together at Ajax. De Ligt had also been linked with a move to Old Trafford before he swapped Holland for Italy three years ago.

New Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag could seek a reunion with De Ligt this summer

The Dutch centre-back recently praised Ten Hag’s ability as a manager. ‘He has a lot of qualities (to succeed). We will have to see how he goes.

‘He definitely improves players. He wants to do everything to make his team play better.’ 

Chelsea are in the market for defenders having lost Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid and Andreas Christensen to Barcelona and could look to capitalise on De Ligt’s disastrous talks with Juventus by testing the club with a significant bid.

De Ligt has made 117 appearances for Juve, scoring eight goals. He has also won 37 caps for Holland and is likely to be selected in Louis van Gaal’s squad for the World Cup in Qatar.

Having won the league in his first season at the club, De Ligt has seen the last two Scudetti go to Inter Milan and AC Milan as Juventus have struggled to match their 2010s domestic dominance in recent seasons. 

De Ligt’s possible departure from Juventus will have also caught the eye of Thomas Tuchel