Chelsea ‘vying intensely’ for Bayern Munich’s Niklas Süle — report

Operating under the (well-founded) assumption that Chelsea’s primary focus in the summer transfer window will be on reinforcing and/or rejigging the defense, the Blues have been increasingly linked with a whole host of center backs from all around Europe. For some reason, most of them involve Bayern Munich in some way, shape, or form (probably because they’re also undertaking a similar endeavor).

Having missed on Dayot Upamecano, whose move to Bayern at the end of the season has already been confirmed, Chelsea may or may not be turning our attention to Bayern’s own Niklas Süle (among others, I’m sure), whose name “aroused” our interest (HELLO!) not just last month, but some years back as well.

The now 25-year-old center back, who chose the Bundesliga behemoths over Chelsea in 2017, is approaching the final year of his contract in Bavaria, and talks over an extension have not been very fruitful — and that the case already even before Bayern decided to sign Upamecano (who is posited as the replaced for also Chelsea-linked David Alaba, but it’s not hard to see why Süle might be wondering about his own future at the club).

According to local outlet Abendzeitung (via Bavarian Football Works), Tuchel personally wants Chelsea to go hard after the former Hoffenheim youth product, who’s said to be feeling well at home in Munich still, but has plenty of eyes on him thanks to his relative lack of involvement this season. That of course stems in large part from an ACL tear (the second of his career), but Chelsea do love an injury-discount, so perhaps we are indeed “vying intensely”.

Well, vie away, I suppose.