Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has publicly voiced his interest in signing another central defender this summer following the injury to Levi Colwill.
The English defender suffered an ACL injury during Chelsea’s pre-season that is certain to keep him out until 2026.
Not just Colwill, Benoit Badiashile and Tosin Adarabioyo have also been sidelined through injury at the start of the new season.
In this scenario, Maresca was forced to name an academy graduate, Josh Acheampong in his starting 11 against Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Though the youngster did well, he is not a long-term solution, and it looks like Chelsea will have to dip into the transfer market to find an able replacement for Colwill.
Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Maresca is planning a move for a Bundesliga defender from Bayer Leverkusen.
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Chelsea consider bid for Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie
According to GiveMeSport, Chelsea are weighing up a late summer move for Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie.
The report revealed that the Blues are considering a bid for the 23-year-old defender. However, they will have to fend off interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid, who are long-term admirers of the player.
Additionally, though the Bundesliga side don’t want to lose Hincapie, he’s got a £52m ($70m) release clause in his current deal.
Chelsea have already lost one of their key transfer targets to Spurs this summer in Mohammed Kudus and will not want to lose another player to their bitter rivals.
It’s been previously reported that Chelsea admire Hincapie after coming up against him in a pre-season friendly this summer.
On paper, the left-footed central defender looks like he could be a natural cover for Colwill.
Maresca’s team also has the advantage of having Moises Caicedo on their side. Not only can they ask Caicedo about more information regarding Hincapie, they could also ask him to convince the defender to join them.
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