Serie A holders Juventus have reportedly made a surprise approach to sign Chelsea defender Gary Cahill this summer. The Italian champions lost the services of Leonardo Bonucci to AC Milan earlier in the transfer window, and this has increased their desperation to sign a new centre-back before next week’s deadline.
According to The Sun, the Old Lady have contacted Chelsea over the availability of Gary Cahill as they look to add more experience to their backline this month. Max Allegri’s side had primary deployed the three-at-the-back formation with Bonucci, and the club are hoping to integrate Cahill into the setup following his success with the same setup at Stamford Bridge last term.
Antonio Conte has the likes of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, who are capable of taking up Cahill’s position, and the arrival of another centre-back is likely to hamper the Englishman’s future. The Premier League champions are still maintaining their interest in Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk, and his signature could trigger Cahill’s exit from Stamford Bridge.
Juventus are said to be weighing up a potential loan offer for Cahill, but they are also open to the prospect of signing him on a permanent basis for a fee of around £16.5m this summer. As things stand, the Blues still hold the club-captain in high regard, but the next couple of days could give a hindsight on where his commitment will lie during the international break.
Chelsea have brought in the likes of Willy Caballero, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Antonio Rudiger and Alvaro Morata in this summer’s transfer window, but Conte is still said to want at least another four players in his ranks before next Thursday’s deadline. The Blues made a relatively poor start to their title defence with a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Burnley, but they have since clinched a hard fought 2-1 win over cross-city rivals Tottenham Hotspur to open their points tally.
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