Barcelona target's £41m price tag could see Chelsea win the race

Xavi Hernandez fulfilled his wish to strengthen his forward line after FC Barcelona reached an agreement to sign Ferran Torres from Manchester City in a £46.8 million deal. The Catalan club are expected to next focus on their defence with Matthijs de Ligt reportedly their top target, but they will face competition from one of the Premier League big guns.

De Ligt snubbed interest from a number of Europe's top clubs to join Juventus in 2019, but has failed to recapture the form that he showed during his time with Ajax. He has also failed to nail down a regular place in the starting XI with veterans Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci currently ahead of him in the pecking order.

The Netherlands international has a contract until 2024 with the Turin giants, but remains open to leave having failed to settle in the Serie A. Juventus are also said to be open to considering offers for the Dutchman, as a considerable fee for the defender will give them the funds to strengthen their squad further - with attack being a priority for manager Massimiliano Allegri.

According to Catalan publication El Nacional, Barcelona have made de Ligt a priority target for the summer, but will face competition from Chelsea, who are looking for a centre-back. The Blues could lose Antonio Rudiger on a free transfer, and feel the Dutch centre-back will be the ideal replacement for the Germany international.

De Ligt is valued at around €50 million (£42.1m), and that could be a problem for cash-strapped Barcelona. The Catalan club is mired in financial problems and is expected to struggle to match Juventus' valuation, especially after they spent €55 million to sign Torres from City.

Chelsea, on the other hand, will have no trouble matching the Serie A club's valuation, having spent £97 million to sign Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan in the summer. Roman Abramovic is expected to sanction the move if Rudiger leaves to join Real Madrid, and could win the race despite Barcelona holding talks with De Ligt's agent Mino Raiola in Italy recently.