Chelsea were left frustrated after being held to a 0-0 draw by Crystal Palace in their first game of the new Premier League season on Sunday.
Enzo Maresca handed Premier League debuts to a number of players including Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, but the Blues were unable to find a winner at Stamford Bridge.
Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze thought he had given the visitors the lead from a stunning free-kick, but the goal was chalked off by VAR.
This summer has been a busy one for Chelsea, with Delap and Pedro among those to have arrived at Stamford Bridge.
Now, it appears that the West London giants have their eyes on a Bundesliga star.
According to GiveMeSport, Chelsea are considering a move for Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie.
Hincapie is a target for Chelsea (Photo: Rene Nijhuis/Alamy)
The report claims that Maresca is keen to bolster his defensive options before the transfer window shuts, with centre-back Levi Colwill set to miss much of the season with a cruciate ligament injury.
Hincapie, 23, joined Leverkusen from Argentinian side CA Telleres back in 2021 and helped the German side to win the Bundesliga title in 2024.
He has now played more than 160 times for the club across all competitions, but the report claims that Chelsea could swoop for the Ecuador international this month.
The central defender has a release clause in his current contract which is set at around £52 million, but it remains to be seen whether or not the Blues would be willing to meet that figure.
Leverkusen are said to be reluctant to allow the Ecuadorian to depart the club this summer having already lost Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz to Liverpool since the end of last season.
The defender’s current contract with Leverkusen is set to run until the end of the 2028/29 season.