According to Spanish journalist Alfredo Pedullà, Chelsea will do everything to sign RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol ahead of next season.
The London giants failed to secure a pre-transfer agreement for Gvardiol last summer. They wanted to sign him for the 2023/24 season and beyond but Leipzig were not interested in doing business. The German club rejected three bids from Chelsea with the last one being £78 million.
Graham Potter’s side remain optimistic of landing the versatile Croatian defender and Pedullà claims that the club will do everything to sign the 20-year-old ahead of the competition. The club want the defender for next season and are pushing to close the operation with Leipzig.
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Gvardiol has been highly-rated from his time at Dinamo Zagreb. The Croatian is now in his second season at Leipzig where he has developed into a top-class central defender. He has been superb with his defensive awareness and ability to make crunch tackles. His distribution has also been top notch.
He has a bright future ahead of him and Chelsea appear keen on finalising an agreement with Leipzig before their European rivals enter the race. The London club are presently negotiating a deal with Leipzig for Christopher Nkunku. The Frenchman is likely to move to Stamford Bridge next summer.
Chelsea could use the same opportunity to try and sign Gvardiol too. A £78m bid was insufficient to persuade Leipzig in the last transfer window. With his world-class potential and young age, the Bundesliga heavyweights could demand as much as £100m to consider the departure of Gvardiol.
Gvardiol would be a fabulous signing for Chelsea. He can play in central defence or as a left-back. He could be seen as a long-term replacement for Thiago Silva, who is already 38. The Brazilian has shown no signs of slowing down but he could leave the club after this season or the next.
