Liverpool could reportedly try and hijack Chelsea’s attempts to sign RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, as per the transfer insider Dean Jones.
The 20-year-old joined the German club during the summer of 2021 from Dinamo Zagreb for a fee of around £16m. The youngster enjoyed a stellar debut campaign at the Red Bull Arena last term, scoring twice and registering as many assists in 29 league appearances.
The former Dinamo Zagreb man was a talismanic figure at the Croatia backline in the recently concluded World Cup 2022, helping his nation to finish third in the competition.
The 20-year-old recently revealed that his childhood dream is to play for Liverpool. And following Gvardiol’s flirtation with the Merseyside club, speaking to GiveMeSport, Dean Jones has claimed that Liverpool ‘could become contenders’ to sign the centre-back.
When asked whether Liverpool are in line to sign Gvardiol, Jones said:
“Maybe they can become contenders. We should probably consider that it’s in Gvardiol’s interests to build up all the hype around him to make sure that there’s a tussle to sign him. I think from a club standpoint, they’ll be happy for that to be the case with Gvardiol at the moment whilst he stays where he is.”
Gvardiol to Liverpool
Gvardiol still has four and a half years left in his current contract and there is a £112m release clause included in his deal which can be activated in 2024. So, Marco Rose’s side are under no pressure to sell their star man and could ask for a fee more than the £112m figure to let him leave this month.
Chelsea attempted to purchase the Leipzig ace last summer and submitted an offer of around £81m. However, the Bundesliga club rejected that bid and decided to keep hold of Gvardiol knowing his release clause would be well over £100m in 2024.
It has been widely reported that Graham Potter’s side are still interested in signing Gvardiol and may renew their attempts to sign him either this month or next summer, but it appears they could face competition from Liverpool.
It would be tough for Liverpool to win a transfer race against Chelsea as the Blues have deeper pockets. However, with the player expressing his desire to play for the Merseyside club, the Reds could get an edge in the race if they were to make a move for him.
It will be interesting to see whether Liverpool make a concrete approach to sign Gvardiol. With Virgil van Dijk failing to showcase his best this season and Liverpool struggling defensively, signing the Leipzig defender could be a shrewd decision.
