Transfer News: Setback for Tuchel as Bundesliga giants sign defensive ace on Chelsea’s radar

Borussia Dortmund confirm signing Chelsea target Niklas Sule from Bayern Munich

As per the official BVB website (h/t Mirror), Chelsea have been handed a blow regarding Niklas Sule as Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc confirmed that the German side have completed the transfer of the defender.

Sule signed a pre-contract agreement with Dortmund, as the Germany international is into the last six months of his current deal with Bayern. The defender will now move to his new club at the end of the season for free.

This will come as bad news for the Blues, who were eyeing Sule as a potential transfer target in the summer to bolster their defence. The fact that the German was available for free also made him an attractive option for the club to pursue.

Sule has made the choice to stay in the Bundesliga and continue his career in his native country, rather than move abroad and seek a fresh challenge in a new league. This is a massive blow for Chelsea as Sule isn’t just in his prime but is a proven centre-back at the top level of European football.

Chelsea face defensive crunch

After losing out on Sule, Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel will be sweating on finding an ideal replacement for his rearguard ahead of the new season, with key senior defenders Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, and Cesar Azpilicueta all out of contract in June.

Thus far, the trio have shown no indication to extend their stay at Stamford Bridge beyond the current campaign, which leaves the Blues facing a potential defensive crisis in the summer. Sule was eyed as someone who could step in and fill this void, but that dream is now for all means and purposes, dead.

Tuchel will be sweating on the futures of his three senior players, who have all impressed under the German in the Chelsea team. Tuchel prefers playing a three-man defence in his system, and the out-of-contract stars all make up this trio in the Blues rearguard.

To add to this, the Blues boss will also need to start thinking about a replacement for another key defender in Thiago Silva, who turns 38 this year and is in the twilight period of his playing career. It also remains to be seen if Silva will stay with Chelsea beyond the 2022/23 season.

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In the space of one transfer window, the Blues could lose three defenders in one go, all for free. To rub salt into the club’s wounds, the Stamford Bridge side look set to lose club captain Apzilicueta, who is the team’s longest-serving player at the moment. His leadership will be sorely missed if he is to depart.

Rudiger and Christensen would be heavy losses to recover from as well, with the former star arguably enjoying his best season so far and entering the prime years of his playing career. Tuchel will either need to identify other available defenders in the market soon or convince his senior centre-backs to stay with the club for the immediate future.