“He could be an interesting player for them” – Gus Poyet identifies player Chelsea must look to sign before pre-season camp begins

Former Chelsea midfielder Gustavo Poyet believes the Blues should look to sign Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt before they head off for pre-season in the United States.

De Ligt, 22, is being linked with a potential move to Stamford Bridge following the departure of Antonio Rudiger, with Andreas Christensen expected to follow in his footsteps.

Both defenders became free agents with their contracts expiring, with Rudiger having joined Real Madrid and Christensen expected to complete a move to Barcelona.

Chelsea are reportedly considering a swap deal with Juventus for De Ligt involving either Timo Werner or Christian Pulisic.

Poyet believes the Blues should definitely look at luring De Ligt to Stamford Bridge and do so before pre-season given the lack of defensive options.

He spoke to Lord Ping with regard to the west London club's summer transfer strategy:

"The most important position Chelsea should be strengthening is in central defence."

He continued:

"De Ligt is an interesting player because when he left his previous club he went somewhere that he needed to improve tactically and dramatically to perform at that level."

Poyet urged Thomas Tuchel's side to sign the Dutch defender if they have the finances to do so, concluding:

"If he wants to move and Chelsea can afford him then he could be an interesting player for them. If Chelsea start pre-season without that top level centre-back, I'll be worried."

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Matthijs de Ligt has all the credentials to be a success at Chelsea

The Dutch defender has impressed over the years

Matthijs de Ligt has become one of Europe's most coveted centre-backs following a meteoric rise.

The Dutch defender quickly became one of Eredivisie side Ajax's top performers, and was made club captain at just 19.

He made 117 appearances for the Amsterdam side during his time at the Johan Cruyff Arena.

The 22-year-old was key to the side's Eredivisie and KNVB Cup-winning campaign of 2019 in which they also made the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Off the back of his impressive 2019 season, he joined Juventus for £76.95 million and despite a somewhat slow start to life in Turin, is flourishing once more.

He made 42 appearances across all competitions last season for the Old Lady but could be set for a departure with contract talks having reached an impasse.

Should he arrive at Stamford Bridge, he can be expected to become a mainstay of Thomas Tuchel's defence alongside the likes of Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta.