Bundesliga interest in £42m-rated Chelsea academy star 'revealed' as future bid 'cannot be ruled out'

Recent reports have emerged suggesting that Chelsea defender Levi Colwill attracted interest from Bundesliga side Bayern Munich in the summer transfer window, but talks stalled amid slow exit negotiations for Matthijs De Ligt.

Bayern Munich Director of Football Max Eberl was apparently keen on Chelsea defender Colwill during the summer as the centre-back ‘particularly appealed’ to him as a long-term replacement to Matthijs De Ligt.

According to German football Journalist Florian Plettenberg via Sport Witness, Bayern were in talks to sign Colwill from Chelsea, but any chance of a deal was ruled out due to how long it took for Matthijs De Ligt to exit to Old Trafford which he eventually did for a fee of £42.9m.

A Bayern move for the defender stalled in the summer, but according to the report, a fresh move for Colwill in the future ‘cannot be ruled out’. Chelsea valued him at around £42m in the summer so for Bayern Munich, he would have been a logical replacement for Matthijs De Ligt.

The Bundesliga side reportedly also had an interest in Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah who was their first choice to replace Matthijs De Ligt at the Allianz Arena.

Chelsea’s defensive struggles compared to title rivals

Enzo Maresca’s side have had a strong start to the new season earning 17 points in nine games and have scored the second-most goals in the Premier League this season behind Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. Their last game came against Newcastle United last weekend when they won 2-1 to get back to winning ways after a defeat to Liverpool.

However, compared to title rivals City, Liverpool and Arsenal, the Blues’ defensive record is poor. They have conceded the same amount of goals as 17th-placed Crystal Palace and could do with solidifying the back line in January to try to cement their place in the top four.

However, if Enzo Maresca was to lose Levi Colwill to Bayern Munich in January, Chelsea would possibly have to invest in a new long-term centre-back option to shore up the defence in preparation for a possible title fight next season and a return to European football.

Chelsea do have Wesley Fofana who they paid £70 million for from Leicester City in August 2022. However, recent injury struggles for the 23-year-old mean that despite initially signing a seven-year contract at Stamford Bridge, he may not be the long-term option for Enzo Maresca.