Chelsea have suffered a blow with the news that Juventus centre-back Daniele Rugani has signed a new deal with the club.
The Italian has been linked with both the Blues and Arsenal recently, having not always managed regular playing time with the Serie A champions.
He has made just 14 appearances this season, but with current defensive stars such as Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci ageing, that could start to change.
Maurizio Sarri was linked with taking Rugani to Stamford Bridge last summer, reuniting the pair from their Empoli days, but a move never happened.
The 24-year-old stayed put and he has now gone one better and committed his long-term future to Juventus.
His new deal will keep him in Turin until the summer of 2023, all but ruling out Chelsea’s chances of signing him, for the foreseeable future at least.
Sarri will now have to look elsewhere for reinforcements this summer, should be still be in the job at that point.
