According to The Daily Mirror, Chelsea are planning to beat Real Madrid to the signing of Josko Gvardiol with a January bid.
The London giants have been very active in the transfer market under owner Todd Boehly and they have already signed RB Leipzig star Christopher Nkunku for next summer. It is now reported by The Daily Mirror that Chelsea are eyeing a January deal for his teammate Gvardiol.
Real Madrid are also interested in signing the Croatian defender, who was superb at the World Cup but Chelsea believe they can beat them to his signature with a mid-season deal. According to the report, Leipzig will demand around £45 million for the centre-back with separate add-ons.
World-class
Gvardiol is regarded as one of the best central defenders in Bundesliga and he has enhanced his reputation further after a terrific World Cup with Croatia, who finished third. The 20-year-old was superb in Qatar with his defensive concentration and ability to clear his lines regularly.
He has the hallmarks of being a world-class centre-back in future and Chelsea are doing the right thing in trying to sign him in January. The final decision, however, will lie on the player, who will have to be convinced to join the club amid the high-profile interest from Real Madrid.
Chelsea’s performances in the current league season have been poor and they are already eight points behind the fourth position. There is no guarantee at the moment that the club will be playing Champions League football again during the 2023/24 campaign.
This could be a potential stumbling block for Chelsea in the race to sign Gvardiol. Nkunku was convinced without any difficulty but whether Gvardiol can be is a big question mark. He would be a fabulous signing for them if they can get a deal over the line.
