Chelsea set to rival Tottenham for 24-year-old Bundesliga defender

Chelsea face competition from Tottenham Hotspur for Edmond Tapsoba

Chelsea could look for a centre-back next summer, given the Blues could sell Trevoh Chalobah in the January window and Thiago Silva has one year left on his contract.

So going for a centre-back is necessary for the Blues, and according to CaughtOffSide, (h/t Football. London) the West Londoners have identified Edmond Tapsoba as their top target for next summer.

However, the Blues will have to fend off interest from their London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur. The 24-year-old has been an integral part of Xabi Alonso Bayern Leverkusen this season, who are at the top of the table and have featured in 10 matches for the German side.

His performance is already gaining the attention of several European clubs. Chelsea will certainly need a defender to replace Silva, who could leave next summer.

Meanwhile, Chalobah has been linked with a move away in January, and Bayern Munich remains interested in signing him. The 23-year-old seems to have no future at the club, and moving away will be a better decision for his playing time.

The Blues boasts the likes of Levi Colwill, Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi, Wesley Fofana, and Silva, while Malang Sarr and Chalobah remain unused players this season.

Tapsoba is 24 and could be a perfect replacement for Silva, who is 39 now. He is young and will have time to settle in a different league. If we are successful in signing the Leverkusen centre-back, it will take some time for him to fill Silva’s shoes. We also need to wait and see what Silva decides during the summer. Given the Brazilian’s outstanding performance despite his advanced age, Chelsea may be content to retain him for another season.

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Spurs’ are also keen on recruiting so it will be a good battle for the signing of centre-back. Though it’s unclear how much Leverkusen will ask for, at that point we can evaluate the circumstances.