Chelsea might only have to wait another month as they await updates on the future of transfer target Niklas Sule.
The German centre-back is out of contract at the end of the season and is currently eligible to negotiate a free transfer to a foreign club.
He has been offered an extended deal by current employers Bayern Munich but has rejected that as he assesses his options.
As a result, Chelsea have been linked with a move for the 26-year-old as they attempt to find a solution to their own defensive problems, with the likes of Sule's compatriot Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta also all seeing their respective contracts end at the conclusion of the campaign.
Now, the Blues have been told exactly when a decision will be made on Sule’s future as they potentially attempt to take him to Stamford Bridge.
According to German outlet Sport1, clarity is set to be offered by at least mid-February, with the defender’s representatives keen to sit down with the current German champions in an effort to find a solution.
Should Sule elect to leave the Allianz Arena, Chelsea could well decide to immediately offer a pre-contract agreement to the defender to bring him to Stamford Bridge in the summer.
However, should the German stay with Bayern, then that could well force Thomas Tuchel and his staff to look elsewhere in their search for defensive recruits ahead of next season.
Since arriving from Hoffenheim in 2017, Sule has gone on to make 157 appearances for Bayern Munich, winning four Bundesliga titles, two DFB-Pokal, as well as the Champions League.
Former Bayern midfielder Lothar Matthaus has suggested that the German giants would be worse off should they let the defender leave the Allianz Arena.
Speaking with Abendzeitung, he said: “That [Sule’s departure] would be a bitter loss for Bayern, after Alaba and Boateng, the third central defender would be gone within a very short time.”
