Barcelona offered chance to sign 22-year-old, Chelsea also in the race

Barcelona have been offered the chance to sign Matthijs de Ligt next summer with the central defender said to be unhappy at Juventus. The Netherlands international is said to be unhappy with his role under Massimiliano Allegri, after the Italian took over the reigns this summer following the sacking of Andrea Pirlo.

De Ligt is familiar with Barcelona having been close to joining the Catalan club in 2019 before he chose to join Juventus. The Dutch centre back has failed to capture the form he showed with Ajax that made him one of the most sought after players in the world.

The 22-year-old remains one of the top central defenders in Europe at the moment, and will not be short of suitors should he decide to leave Juventus before his contract expires in 2024. According to Sport, Barcelona are among the clubs that could potentially open its doors for the defender.

The La Liga giants are reportedly in the market for a left sided centre back and believe De Ligt will be an ideal fit. The former Ajax star's agent Mino Raiola is said to have already spoken to the Catalan outfit about a potential move next summer.

Juventus are unlikely to allow De Ligt to leave the club, but could be forced to negotiate if the player pushes for a move. The Dutchman does have a €150 million release clause inserted into his contract, which will become active next summer, but no club is expected to match that in the current climate.

Raiola is aware of Barcelona's financial troubles, but the agent has excellent relations with the Camp Nou outfit and could engineer a deal that suits all parties. If Barcelona can't come up with the finances, there are a number of other top clubs across Europe that will be interested in signing the wantaway defender.

Apart from Barcelona, Raiola is also said to have held talks with Chelsea and Manchester City in England. The Premier League big guns are not in financial trouble like the Spanish club, and could very well offer to pay a hefty fee to prise De Ligt away from Turin.