Chelsea could sign a new central defender this summer to replace the injured Levi Colwill.
Colwill recently sustained an ACL injury and is now set to miss most of the 2025/26 season in a massive blow for Chelsea.
Frank Leboeuf has discussed Chelsea’s situation, urging his former club to put their trust in Tosin Adarabioyo and Trevoh Chalobah in Colwill’s absence.
However, it looks as though the Blues are considering bringing in a new centre-back before the transfer window closes.
Piero Hincapie of Bayer 04 Leverkusen during UEFA Champions League match
Photo by Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images
Piero Hincapie attracting interest from Spain
In terms of potential targets, Chelsea admire Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie so could make a move for the 23-year-old. However, there could be one issue.
According to CaughtOffside, while the Club World Cup winners are monitoring Hincapie, interest from Spain could complicate any pursuit for his signature.
Simply put, if a club like Real Madrid or Barcelona come in for Hincapie, that could end any hopes Chelsea have of signing the Ecuadorian.
In the past, it has been reported that Hincapie has a £51m release clause in his contract. With Chelsea still having other centre-halves available, though, they may not want to pay that.
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Journalist Simon Phillips recently claimed that Chelsea are also considering making a loan signing to plug the hole that Colwill’s injury has left.
Levi Colwill of Chelsea in action during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Brighton
Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
Piero Hincapie and Levi Colwill’s stats very similar
Hincapie would be a like-for-like replacement for Colwill. Both central defenders are left-footed, while their stats were similar last season.
For example, Colwill made 3.3 clearances per game in the Premier League, while Hincapie averaged 3.1 in the Bundesliga.
Player Games Tackles per game Interceptions per game Clearances per game Blocks per game Aerials won per game Pass success rate
Piero Hincapie 32 1.6 1 3.1 0.6 2.1 89.4%
Levi Colwill 35 1.3 0.9 3.3 0.7 2.4 89.7%
Via Piero Hincapie’s WhoScored and Levi Colwill’s WhoScored pages
All in all, it could make a lot of sense to bring in Hincapie, especially with Wesley Fofana having his own injury problems.
The Frenchman should be available for the Crystal Palace match, but he has missed a lot of games since joining Chelsea, while the same can be said about Benoit Badiashile.
To sign Hincapie, though, the Conference League holders may have to see off competition from a Spanish club or two.