Exclusive: Chelsea in active negotiations to beat Man Utd to transfer of world class Bundesliga star | OneFootball

Chelsea are understood to be leading the race for the potential signing of Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Jonathan Tah after entering into active negotiations over a deal.

Tah is due to be out of contract with Leverkusen at the end of this season, and he’s technically free to start talking with clubs from abroad from January onwards, with Chelsea looking to beat their rivals to this deal, CaughtOffside have been told.

The Blues are making early efforts to try to move into a strong position for Tah, who is also attracting interest from other big names such as Manchester United, Newcastle, Tottenham, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Real Madrid.

The 28-year-old has been a world class performer for Leverkusen for some time now, and his departure would be a huge blow for the club, but it seems they’re struggling to convince him to stay.

Chelsea could do with strengthening in defence and CaughtOffside understands they’re making Tah one of their top targets, even if there will clearly be plenty of competition for his signature in the weeks and months ahead.

Jonathan Tah in action for Bayer Leverkusen (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Tah is understood to be happy at Leverkusen, with no final decision made yet on his future, but with the Germany international keen to explore new opportunities in his career.

Is Jonathan Tah the signing Chelsea need?

Chelsea would do well to strengthen in defence in the near future after the relatively underwhelming form of players like Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile, and Tah looks like he could be an ideal option.

Even if Tah is not the youngest, he would add quality and experience to this CFC squad, and is a great opportunity on the market due to being a free agent next summer.

Chelsea notably got a good few years out of Thiago Silva when he joined on a free, even if some will have doubted the Brazilian at the time due to his age, and Tah is a lot younger than Silva was when he joined.

All in all, this looks like it has the potential to be a very smart deal for Chelsea, but one imagines we can’t rule out the likes of Man United yet either.

The Red Devils have both Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof nearing the ends of their contracts, so new defensive additions would surely make sense for Ruben Amorim as he inherits a struggling side from Erik ten Hag, with Matthijs de Ligt not looking particularly impressive since joining in the summer.