Chelsea are said to have moved into prime position for an attractive looking deal for a defender.

Chelsea are said to be in 'active negotiations over a player who could strengthen their back-line. The Blues will e happy with their defence and how it has performed this season, with Enzo Maresca quickly settling on his favourite centre-back pairing.

Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill have formed a steady partnership at the heart of the Blues defence, and it looks as though there will be little changes despite competition between Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi.

The former was signed for free, but Chelsea may yet spend to add to their centre-back competition pool next summer, especially with Badiashile having been linked with an exit in the past. According to reports, Chelsea are interested in Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Jonathan Tah.

CaughtOffside report that the Blues are in 'active negotiations' with Tah. It's claimed Chelsea's early move has seen them move ahead of the likes of Barcelona, Manchester United and Real Madrid in the race to sign the 28-year-old.

Tah has made 268 league appearances for Bayer, notably winning the Bundesliga last season. He also has 33 caps for Germany at senior level having regularly represented his country through the youth levels.

Tah is valued at more than PS25million by Transfermarkt, and it's likely Bayer would ideally demand more than that, but his contract is only valid until the summer of 2025. That means he could be available for free next summer, with clubs outside Germany able to agree a pre-contract agreement from January 1 unless a new deal is agreed.

Crucially, though, Tah is said to be happy at Bayer, and it's not likely he would let the club down if they plan to offer him a new deal but don't pull the trigger before the start of January. It may be the case that if Tah wants a new challenge, he would come to some sort of agreement that would allow the German club to receive some sort of fee.