Josko Gvardiol can prepare for a big transfer in 2023, Fabrizio Romano assures. The RB Leipzig defender is working on an excellent World Cup with Croatia and has attracted the attention of several European elite clubs. Chelsea have been after Gvardiol’s signature for some time and would still be interested. However, the Londoners must decide quickly if they do not want to come home from a rude awakening.
The 20-year-old Gvardiol has long been regarded as one of the best young defenders in the world and that reputation has only grown since the World Cup in Qatar. The man-dekker is going through an excellent tournament and distinguished himself with an excellent tackle on Romelu Lukaku in the last group match against Belgium. He also stayed on his feet quite easily against Morocco (0-0) and Canada (4-1). In the eighth finals he can show it against the surprisingly well-performing Japan.
It is not a question of if, but when Gvardiol will leave Leipzig. The Croat extended his contract with the Bundesliga club until mid-2027 last September, but that has not stopped major clubs from expressing their interest. Earlier there was talk of an escape clause of 45 million euros, but that appears to be incorrect, according to Romano. It is not known what Leipzig wants for the defender. Transfer market already estimates its value at sixty million euros. This amount will probably increase considerably if Croatia stays in the tournament.
Chelsea have long been the firm favorite for Gvardiol’s signature and engaged in intense negotiations with Leipzig last summer. Although no agreement was reached, the English intend to try again in January. The London superpower has not made any new bids in recent months. The Athletic reported in August that the talks fell apart when Leipzig suddenly increased the asking price. During the first talks, an amount of seventy million euros was discussed. That later rose to eighty and even ninety million.
Still favourite
Chelsea is expected to still have a good starting position. The Blues maintain a warm relationship with Leipzig. In 2020, the club took over Timo Werner for an amount of 53 million euros. However, the striker was unable to leave an indelible impression and returned last summer for twenty million euros. A loss of 23 million euros in two years. Chelsea also signed a deal with Leipzig for the transfer of Christopher Nkunku at the end of the current season. Another important factor is the presence of Mateo Kovacic at Chelsea. The midfielder urged the new owners to sign Gvardiol when they asked his opinion of his compatriot earlier this year.
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