According to German sports daily Bild, Chelsea are set to lose out to Bayern Munich in the quest to land Hoffenheims’s highly-rated centre-back Niklas Sule.
 

The 21-year-old has been influential for his side this season as they currently sit fifth in the Bundesliga standings. Chelsea boss Antonio Conte had his eye on the big defender as he looks to reinforce and re-shape his back-line at Stamford Bridge. Having already had one bid rejected by his current employers, the journal now claims that Sule has agreed a five-year deal to join Bayern for a fee of around £17.5 million although he will most likely remain at Hoffenheim for the rest of the current campaign.
 

Bayern President Uli Hoeness recently stated that; “At Bayern, more German needs to be spoken in the changing room," he said recently. "I would like as many Germans as possible to play for us. Arsenal have played matches without a single English player and that for me is unimaginable."
 

Having lost out on Juventus stopper Leonardo Bonucci, who decided to remain in Turin, Conte’s search for a successor to John Terry looks set to continue.