Chelsea look to have found the heir to Antonio Rudiger's throne at Stamford Bridge as Marina Granovskaia continues to scour the market for defensive reinforcements.
According to The Guardian, Thomas Tuchel's side have re-emerged as potential suitors for the services of Bayern Munich's Niklas Sule.
The German centre-half, who sees his contract with the Bundesliga champions expire at the end of the season, has caught the attention of a number of Europe's elite sides having reportedly rejected Bayern's latest contract offer, making him eligible for pre-contract talks ahead of a free transfer in the summer.
Sule's attributes and ability to perform on the grandest of stages mean he'd be the perfect replacement for Rudiger should he fail to pen fresh terms in west London.
Tuchel revealed earlier this month that contract talks between Rudiger and the European champions are ongoing, though the defender's summer departure still seems a real possibility and so it's key that Chelsea find cover for him if he does cut ties with the club.
However, the Blues may not have a free run at securing Sule's services amid growing interest from Newcastle.
The Premier League strugglers have reportedly joined the race for the centre-back and the Magpies' latest transfer activity should act as a real wake-up call to Chelsea.
Eddie Howe's side look set to beat Champions League-chasing Arsenal to the signing of Bruno Guimaraes.
The 24-year-old midfielder is set to undergo a medical in South America, where he is away on international duty, ahead of a proposed transfer to St James' Park, according to The Chronicle.
Newcastle are understood to have tabled a €40m (£33.5m) bid for the Brazilian in a deal that would reportedly quadruple Guimaraes' current salary, as per Fabrizio Romano and French outlet L’Équipe (via GFFN).
Should Newcastle beat Arsenal to the signing of the highly-rated midfielder, it would send a clear message to Chelsea that they can't afford to take Sule's signing for granted if the Magpies continue to monitor his situation.
Chelsea's transfer target has unorthodox ball-carrying tendencies - much like Rudiger - lifting fans from their seats as he charges forward from defence in a bid to open up the game.
While Sule may look to be the perfect Rudiger contingency plan, Tuchel must acknowledge Newcastle's £33.5m warning and prepare to do all he can to convince his countryman that Stamford Bridge is the place for him.
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