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The last time Niklas Sule was linked with Chelsea was way back in 2016-17, just before choosing to sign with Bayern Munich instead, like most talented Bundesliga players often do. Now, in his fourth year at the club, and with his contract about to enter its final year, someone (probably his agent) must have remembered those links and the fact that Süle said at the time that it wasn’t the right time “yet” to move to England.
Is this the time? Certainly the time to resurrect these links! The rumor mill is a flat circle, after all. (And also this is a classic final-contract-year situation, with Bayern probably looking to sell now if they can’t or won’t extend his contract beyond next season.)
So, according to Sport BILD and Sky Deutschland (via Sport Witness), Chelsea’s interest has been once again “aroused” and we are kinkily monitoring Süle as one of three potential defensive targets — the others being David Alaba and Dayot Upamecano — to bolster our backline in the near future. Is it getting hot in here or what?
True ✅ On the shortlist of @ChelseaFC is beside David Alaba and Dayot Upamecano also Niklas Süle @SPORTBILD @FCBayern
— Christian Falk (@cfbayern) February 3, 2021
It’s worth noting that Süle, who’s still just 25, suffered an ACL tear back in October 2019, which led him to miss most of last season. He did return by the time football restarted, and was even involved in the latter stages of the Champions League, including an appearance off the bench in the final after Jérôme Boateng’s injury. He’s been a bit more involved this season, with 20 total appearances thus far, but not quite at the level he was at before his injury, which is a common predicament in such situations.
“Niklas is an absolute option, whether in the centre or full-back position. He did well at Schalke [in a 4-0 win last month when Sule played at right-back]. Don’t forget that he had a long injury.”
“Niklas is a fast player who is calm on the ball and helps shape the game from the back. Given his size, he has absolute strength and I’m glad he’s on our team. We will see how everything develops and how he sees his future. I am satisfied with his development, you can rely on him.”
- Hansi Flick (Bayern Munich coach); source: Goal
While Süle could be potentially a cheap and interesting option at center back, Bayern apparently have no real intention of letting him leave just yet, and are quite confident over reaching an agreement over a new contract... after a bit of the usual rumor mill dance.