Manchester City and Chelsea have been dealt a massive blow in their pursuit of RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol as the defender recently admitted his adulation for Liverpool.
As relayed by Fabrizio Romano, Josko Gvardiol insisted Liverpool have been his dream club and he has watched them very carefully. The youngster was one of the budding stars who enjoyed a superb campaign in the World Cup.
Croatia went on to defeat Morocco in the third-placed World Cup playoff and his value has skyrocketed since then. Clubs are vying for his signature but the German club has maintained the stance that they would only be sanctioning a sale if his release clause is paid in full which is believed to be in excess of £100 million.
Liverpool should dig deep in the market next summer for a defender as their current set of defenders doesn’t seem to be on the same line with others. Both Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip have been error-prone while Ibrahima Konate has been inconsistent.
Midfield has been their chronic problem but defensive rigidity should be their focus next summer. A defender should be on top of their list and a player like Gvardiol could very well be an upgrade over their current crop of players.
Gvardiol admitted he used to watch Liverpool’s matches with his father. “My dream club? That would definitely be Liverpool. Since I was little, I watched a lot of their matches with my dad.
“We covered every season in detail. It is a club that has remained in my heart”.
Manchester City are also believed to be in the race for the 20-year-old as Pep Guardiola is an avid admirer of the defender. They do have an extensive lineup of players in that section but the manager wants more competition in his squad.
Chelsea already brought in Benoit Badiashile from Monaco in January but the impending departure of Thiago Silva could open more room for a defender.
Gvardiol will remain at the club as of now but a bidding war could be ignited in the summer as he would be one of the highly anticipated targets by clubs. Leipzig won’t rush to a decision and they will have the cash register ringing if they manage to sell the player according to their demand.
