Matthijs de Ligt has denied he was set to move to Chelsea before signing for Bayern Munich in the summer.
Chelsea contacted Juventus over the Dutch defender’s availability but the Blues couldn’t reach an agreement with De Ligt only having eyes for Bayern.
Matthijs de Ligt signed a five-year deal for Bayern for £68 this summer
The former Ajax star has opened up about both links with Chelsea and his happiness at signing for the Bundesliga champions.
“Yes, but that didn’t concern me. “I had Bayern in mind,” said the 23-year-old when asked if he had entered into negotiations with the Blues.
“It wasn’t close to me but maybe [it was between] the clubs. Honestly, I haven’t spoken to them this summer. There were a lot of rumors that didn’t come from me.
De Ligt continued: “[Bayern] It’s incredible. I spend a good time there. It feels like home after several months.
“I think the way I played with Bayern gave me the opportunity to play the first game [of the World Cup] so I feel like I made a good decision and I’m really happy there.
After being rebuffed in their attempts, Chelsea spent their money elsewhere securing the signings of Wesley Fofana from Leicester and Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli.
Ex-Juventus defender is part of Netherlands squad aiming for World Cup glory in Qatar
De Ligt is part of the Netherlands squad that secured a safe passage to the quarter-finals.
Louis van Gaal’s side face Argentina on Friday for a place in the semi-finals and De Ligt will be hoping they can work their way into the reckoning after making just one start so far.
De Ligt started in the Netherlands’ opening group game against Senegal but has since been banned to the bench. He was introduced in the final minute of Saturday’s 3-1 win over the United States.
De Ligt has been on the bench for the last three World Cup games
On his lack of playing time, he said: “Every player wants to play but we are a group of 26 players. I’ve already played more than expected because I thought I wouldn’t play anything at this World Cup.
“I know my role and I train hard every day to help the team. I agree. Maybe it’s the team’s way of playing and coaching [that explains why] so I’m fine. We won again together and we are in the quarter-finals so that’s fine. »
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