Chelsea star wanted by Bayern Munich as transfer alternative to Germany defender

Bayern Munich have identified Chelsea's Levi Colwill as one of their top targets this summer.

The Germans, who recently appointed Vincent Kompany, are in the midst of rejigging their squad after a disappointing year that saw them lose the Bundesliga title to Bayer Leverkusen. The Bavarians want to bolster their defensive options and are eyeing the young Englishman.

Colwill previously impressed in loan spells at Huddersfield and Brighton and last term played more than 30 times for the Blues. That has put him in the shop window with Bayern considering a bid over the coming weeks.

Whilst he's on their radar, the Chelsea man is not the German club's first choice in that area. Sky in Germany report that Leverkusen's Jonathan Tah is the man they want with the defender, poised to feature for Germany at the Euros, about to enter the final year of his deal.

Tah has been at Leverkusen since he was 15 and has just helped them land a first ever league success. Losing him would be a major blow, especially to a rival, but they could be backed into a corner over the course of the summer.

It is possible that Bayern move for both defenders - although Chelsea are under pressure to sell Colwill with his contract at Stamford Bridge running until 2029. The player only signed a lengthy extension last year and appears content in west London.

The Blues are unlikely to be keen on selling the young defender but could yet be tempted to part with a homegrown player due to the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules. Chelsea have spent over a billion in recent seasons and need to balance the books with Colwill, a homegrown player, providing pure profit.

The player underlined his love for the Blues when he penned a new deal. “Chelsea has been my club since my ninth birthday when I signed. Obviously, I love this club a lot," he said.

“Like I said there was never a doubt. We had the conversation – more of a private sort of thing. I don’t want to out everything he said. It was just giving me a bit of confidence to say if you play well, you’ll have a chance with me and that’s all I wanted to hear. I always wanted to be at Chelsea, be a Chelsea player and hopefully become a Chelsea legend one day.”

His performances have also been recognised internationally with England boss Gareth Southgate handing Colwill his first cap.