It is the summer of 2016 and Antonio Conte is formulating a plan to restore Chelsea to the top of the Premier League table. N'Golo Kante has been signed. Michy Batshuayi too. The Italian is far from done in the transfer market, though.
Conte believes Chelsea need another centre-back added to their ranks. Antonio Rudiger is under consideration, but it's Niklas Sule who is the head coach's first-choice target, his dream signing.
The 21-year-old has just starred for Germany at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, helping his country claim a silver medal in the process. He is valued at around £25million by Hoffenheim and Chelsea are prepared to match that figure.
A deal appears straightforward enough. However, after being approached by the Premier League giants, Sule opts to stay in Germany.
"I've got my familiar environment here," the centre-back would explain in September 2016 after earning his first senior cap for Die Mannschaft. "That was and is very important for my development, and the base to put in constant performances at a high level."
Chelsea would pivot and re-sign David Luiz from Paris Saint-Germain on deadline day – the Brazilian would go on to play a pivotal role in the centre of Conte's back three as the Blues swashbuckled their way to the Premier League title.
Sule remained on Chelsea's radar and the Blues made another move for the German ahead of the 2017 January transfer window. But then came Bayern Munich.
On January 15, 2017, the Bundesliga giants announced they had agreed a deal for Sule and his Hoffenheim teammate Sebastian Rudy. The duo would see out the remainder of the campaign before relocating to the Allianz Arena. Chelsea's hopes were dashed.
“Both offers came almost simultaneously and it was huge for me that the Premier League leaders showed interest," Sule later told TZ. "But it felt better to stay in the Bundesliga. Bayern are the top destination – there is nothing greater in the world.”
Chelsea moved on. Rudiger was eventually signed and over the next four years Fikayo Tomori, Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah and Malang Sarr would come in and out of the first-team squad at centre-back. Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen were also in situ at Stamford Bridge.
Sule, meanwhile, established himself as a key figure in the Bayern defence. He made 42 appearances during the 2017/18 campaign, the same number the following season.
An ACL tear restricted Sule's game time in 2019/20 but he did feature for 65 minutes in Bayern's 2020 Champions League final win over Paris Saint-Germain after replacing Jerome Boateng in the opening period.
There were 33 appearances last term for the defender but Bayern held off offering Sule a new deal amid tension between then-coach Hansi Flick and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic.
Chelsea kept tabs all the while and football.london understands the club gave serious consideration to making a £30million move for Sule in the summer with Thomas Tuchel an admirer of the defender.
That never materialised as the Blues opted to pursue a deal for Sevilla's Jules Kounde, which proved unsuccessful as the La Liga side stood firm on their £68million demands.
Chelsea, of course, have spent much of the past 12 months focused on the futures of their own centre-backs with Rudiger, Christensen and Azpilicueta out of contract at the end of this season.
None of that trio have agreed fresh terms with Chelsea and there is a genuine possibility that all three could walk away from Stamford Bridge this summer on free transfers.
That would be quite the financial hit for the Blues and Sule could prove a cost-effective replacement for either Christensen or Rudiger as it has been confirmed by Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn that the centre-back will leave the club when his contract expires on June 30.
“The negotiations with Niklas dragged on for a very long time," he said. "We made him an offer. He didn’t accept it. He wants to leave the club at the end of the season.
"We have a certain responsibility when it comes to the offers. We have to stick to certain financial conditions. It’s normal in this business that you’ll not always each an agreement."
It's understood Chelsea have been in contact with Sule's representatives this month and the Blues could firm up their interest in the weeks ahead, especially as Christensen is now being targeted by Bayern in addition to interest from Spain.
And if the Blues do opt to bring Sule to Stamford Bridge in the summer, it would bring the end to a transfer pursuit that started six years earlier.
