Chelsea are reportedly stepping up their interest in Bayern Munich and Germany defender Niklas Sule as Thomas Tuchel looks to improve his defence further.
According to a report from The Athletic, Chelsea are eyeing a swoop for Bayern Munich centre-back Niklas Sule in the summer transfer window and are planning to make the most of his uncertain future at the Allianz Arena.
Sule, 25, has been with Bayern Munich since 2017, having joined from boyhood club TSG Hoffenheim. While he has been a regular for large parts of his time with the Bavarian giants, the centre-back has often come under criticism for his fitness levels, especially this season, when he has been in and out of the side, as the likes of Jerome Boateng and David Alaba have been preferred ahead of him.
Sule is set to enter the final year of his contract with the German and European champions at the end of the season. And, talks over a new deal are yet to take place as the club is embroiled in resolving the situation with manager Hansi Flick and director Hasan Salihamidzic. Amidst this, Chelsea are waiting in the wings to make a move for the signing of the 25-year-old.
The report states that Chelsea have had Sule on their radars for a while now and talks of actually making an attempt to sign him up have increased among the club hierarchy in recent weeks. His contract situation further makes him an enticing target for the west London giants.
As things stand, Chelsea have five central defensive options in the first-team in the form of Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen as well as Kurt Zouma. Then, there are several other players that are out on loan such as Fikayo Tomori, Malang Sarr, Marc Guehi among others.
However, Tomori’s loan move to AC Milan could be made permanent at the end of the season while Silva is in the final stages of his career. In addition to that, Azpilicueta is also in his thirties, so adding another centre-back makes a lot of sense for Chelsea. While they have been linked with a move for Real Madrid superstar Raphael Varane, Sule is also a viable target for Thomas Tuchel & co.
As for the player himself, Sule is quite relaxed over his situation as he is confident that if a contract at Bayern is not forthcoming, he will have suitors in plenty. It now remains to be seen if Chelsea’s interest in the 25-year-old leads to a formal offer in the coming months or if they turn their attention towards other targets.
