Chelsea have perfect opportunity to sign £51m centre-back who could turbocharge unexpected title bid

 Chelsea are expected to be in the market for a centre back to replace the injured Levi Colwill

Chelsea are frantically scouring the market for a centre-back after a serious injury to the ever-reliable Levi Colwill, who really stepped up last season with 43 appearances across all competitions.

Colwill, 22, helped Chelsea regain a place in the Champions League by finishing fourth last, played a role in the team’s push to Conference League glory to end the Todd Boehly era trophy drought, and also inspired the Blues to success on the world stage by helping them win the Club World Cup against favourites Paris Saint-Germain. He looked a shoo-in for an England call-up at next summer’s World Cup, but now looks to have had his hopes dashed by a serious ACL injury which is likely to keep him out until the end of the season before a ball is even kicked.

Chelsea's alternative defensive options are new signing Jorrel Hato, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah and Josh Acheampong as well as Wesley Fofana - who himself has had an absolute nightmare with injuries. When asked if Chelsea needed to sign another defender to replace Colwill at his media conference before friendlies against Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan, Maresca said: "It depends - we will wait and see. You know in our way, how important Levi has been. I spoke with him yesterday and I told him that if we achieve what we achieved last year, it is also because of him - and he was a main player for us."

Are Chelsea likely to sign a centre-back this summer?

Given the way Chelsea typically operate, it’s hard to envision them not signing a centre back before the window closes despite their squad depth in that position already. Chelsea secured Champions League qualification with a fourth place finish last year, but their recent exploits in Europe and in the Club World Cup, will have given the hierarchy an appetite for further success - and it’s likely they’ll want a top centre back to help them achieve that goal.

A number of names have been touted as targets, including former defender Marc Guehi, who has been linked with Liverpool and Newcastle United throughout the summer. Another name that’s entered the fray is Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool - he’s a proven Premier League title winner in the final year of his contract but it’s hard to envision the Reds doing business with a potential title rival, particularly at the expense of their own squad. However, should the Reds snap up Guehi, then Konate to Chelsea just might be on.

One name that is gathering interest in the rumour mill is Bayer Leverkusen star Piero Hincapie - and he could potentially prove the perfect answer to Chelsea’s fresh problem

Why Chelsea should target Piero Hincapie

Hincapie is a 23-year-old defender that currently plies his trade for Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen. Like Colwill - he plays as a central defender primarily but is left-footed and blessed with the versatility to easily slot into the left-back role. He’s been capped 46 times for Ecuador at international level and has been a key component in the nation’s World Cup qualifying campaign as they edge closer to securing their spot at next summer’s tournament in North America.

Hincapie has been at Bayer Leverkusen since 2021 and has racked up 164 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring seven times and contributing five assists. He formed part of the team that made history by becoming the first in history to win the Bundesliga by going unbeaten in 2023/24 and also lifted the German Cup and reached the final of the Europa League in the same season.

The young defender is reported by Caught Offside to be one of the names under consideration by Enzo Maresca. Although new Leverkusen manager Erik ten Hag will be reluctant to sell after already losing Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Jonathan Tah and Granit Xhaka to other clubs this summer.

Hincapie, however, is viewed as one of Europe’s best young defenders and is someone that would fit into Maresca’s system like a glove due to his immense defensive awareness, his composure in possession and his excellent ability to dominate aerial battles. Crucially, it’s reported by several outlets, including Sky Germany, that the defender has a release clause of £51m which could potentially make him a shrewd signing for the Stamford Bridge club.