Chelsea favourites to sign German centre-back?

Chelsea are among the front-runners to sign Bayern Munich defender Niklas Sule at the end of the campaign.

The German centre-back has been a long-term target for manager Thomas Tuchel. He previously tried to sign him for Borussia Dortmund.

Tuchel remains keen on landing his services, and the Blues have now received a big boost with the defender rejecting a renewal at Bayern.

He will now leave on a free transfer when his contract expires in June. Chelsea, Barcelona and Newcastle United have made contact with his agent.

The Blues could be leading the queue, considering they had held tentative talks with his representative during last summer's transfer window.

Sule is also said to relish the prospect of playing in the Premier League, and he could join the Blues over the Magpies, who are just in transition.

The Magpies will be spending huge sums after their Saudi-led takeover, but it will be a slow process and may take few years before they can compete for silverware.