According to Bild, Premier League clubs Chelsea and Tottenham will battle it out for the signing of Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig.
Both Chelsea and Spurs are looking to strengthen their defensive options and Bild says the London duo have set their sights on Gvardiol.
The Blues have been strongly linked with the Croatian international since last summer and their interest hasn’t gone away, but they now face competition from rivals Tottenham.
Graham Potter is said to be determined to complete the signing of the RB Leipzig star following injury to summer signing Welsey Fofana.
Fofana is expected to return to action soon but Potter still wants to bolster his defence as Chelsea sit 10th in the table and 10 points off the top four, albeit with a game in hand, after losing 1-0 to Manchester City.
Chelsea also brought in Senegal international Kalidou Koulibaly last summer, followed by the recent signing of Benoit Badiashile from AS Monaco on a seven-and-a-half-year deal.
Despite spending huge money on three centre-back’s in the last six months, Chelsea still want Gvardiol as they’ve conceded 19 goals in 17 league games so far – seven more than this time last term.
Competition
However, Tottenham boss Antonio Conte is also seemingly in the market for a new defender and is ready to fight it out with Chelsea over a deal for Gvardiol. According to Bild, Chelsea and Spurs are yet to open formal talks with Leipzig and they could face further competition with Man Utd and Bayern Munich also keeping an eye on the player.
Gvardiol has forged a reputation as one of the best young defenders in German football. He made 29 Bundesliga appearances last season, contributing eight clean sheets. He also scored two goals and provided two assists for the German side. This season, the 20-year-old has made 19 appearances and scored one goal for Leipzig.
Gvardiol is valued at £66m by Transfermarkt, but his stock rose during the World Cup in Qatar where he impressed at the back to help Croatia finish third after a 2-1 win over Morocco.
Croatia conceded just three goals in their first five games at the tournament prior to their 3-0 defeat to eventually winners Argentina in the semi-finals.
A January move for Gvardiol may be unlikely for all the Premier League clubs, with RB Leipzig currently just six points behind Bundesliga leaders Bayern, so the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham may have to wait until the summer.
Read more: Report: Chelsea ready to accelerate move to sign £13m star ahead of Manchester United
