Chelsea to battle Inter and Villarreal for Premier League defender - Reports

Premier League giants Chelsea are among three clubs interested in signing Leicester City defender Caglar Soyuncu, according to Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu.

Chelsea lost key centre-backs Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen for free in the summer. However, they roped in Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly for a combined sum of over £100 million to fill the void.

The Blues, though, may be forced to invest further on their defense as Thiago Silva has just turned 38 years old, while Cesar Azpilicueta is 33. They are thus said to be in the market for a new centre-back.

One player who is of interest to the Premier League giants is Leicester defender Soyuncu. They have already opened talks over a deal for him, according to the aforementioned source.

The Turkey international has his contract with the Foxes expiring at the end of the current season. Chelsea could thus acquire his services free of cost ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.

However, the London giants are not the only club interested in signing Soyuncu. The central defender is also the subject of interest from Inter Milan and Villarreal, as per the report.

Like the Blues, Inter and Villarreal have started negotiations to rope the 26-year-old. The Leicester defender is thus at the center of a three-way battle as his contract nears an end.

Soyuncu can notably agree to a pre-contract with interested clubs starting in January. However, the Leicester defender cannot reach such an agreement with another Premier League club.

Inter and Villarreal thus have an advantage over Chelsea in the race to sign the former SC Freiburg defender. It remains to be seen if the Blues can still convince the player to join them.

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Chelsea target Soyuncu is yet to play in the Premier League this term

Leicester signed Soyuncu from German outfit Freiburg on a five-year deal in 2018. The East Midlands outfit forked out a sum of £18 million to acquire the centre-back's services.

Soyuncu has since been an important player for the Foxes, making 124 appearances across all competitions. He has contributed to four goals in those matches, helping the team win two trophies in the process.

However, the Turk has seemingly fallen out of favor under Brendan Rodgers recently. He was on the bench in Leicester's last five Premier League matches last season and is yet to appear in the English top flight this term.

A move away from King Power could thus be in the pipeline for Soyuncu. With the likes of Chelsea interested, it remains to be seen where his future lies.