Premier League champions Manchester City and Chelsea are the front-runners in the race to secure the services of €125 million-rated RB Leipzig central defender Josko Gvardiol.
According to French outlet MediaFoot, Premier League sides Manchester City and Chelsea are in pole position to land RB Leipzig’s in-demand 20-year-old central defensive powerhouse Josko Gvardiol, who played a starring role in Croatia’s journey to the semi-finals of the World Cup.
The highly-rated Croatia international defender has come leaps and bounds since his move to Leipzig from Dinamo Zagreb last summer. Regarded as one of the best young centre-backs in Europe, he has been on the transfer radars of several top clubs for some time now, with his world-class potential, ball-progressive ability, and versatility having been noted while turning out for Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig.
However, Gvardiol’s stock has undergone a meteoric rise during the World Cup in Qatar, with the young Croat standing out as one of the tournament’s best performers. He amazed many with his leadership skills at such a tender age, and impressed with his defensive awareness, passing and last-ditch tackling to help Croatia achieve a third-place finish against all odds.
The defender then netted the opener against Morocco in the bronze medal play-off to cap off a spectacular run of performances on the grandest stage for the 20-year-old. And as a result, interest has skyrocketed for Gvardiol in recent weeks, with PSG, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Tottenham Hotspur all joining the bandwagon of elite suitors vying for his services.
He seems destined to seal a blockbuster transfer in the near future, and as per MediaFoot, the Premier League is looking like an increasingly likely destination for the Croatian international, with both Manchester City and Chelsea understood to be ahead of the queue in the running for his signature.
Chelsea, for one, were keen on landing Gvardiol during the last transfer window, with co-owner Todd Boehly said to be a big fan of the 20-year-old, but Leipzig responded by handing a fresh long-term contract until 2027 to the Croatian star.
The Blues have been hot on his trail ever since and were looking into a possible pre-transfer agreement before next summer. They were even willing to pay a higher fee than his release clause in staggered instalments, but the German outfit wants the entire transfer fee in one go, and have snubbed interest from PSG for the same reason.
Moreover, Chelsea will have to make the RB Leipzig centre-back the most expensive defender in history if they are to sign the Croatia international in January, with the Germans demanding a whopping €125 million for their prized asset.
The issue of Gvardiol’s escalating cost has been a source of concern for Chelsea in recent weeks, and they are now on the brink of acquiring an alternative left-footed defender in the form of Monaco’s Benoit Badiashile, who could cost in the region of €35–40 million.
This latest development comes as a big boost for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, who will have a clear run at Gvardiol if Chelsea cool their interest in the 20-year-old. The Sky Blues also have the funds to facilitate the deal, with recent reports suggesting that they are willing to up their original offer to £110 million to land Gvardiol.
