Chelsea are reportedly hoping to steal a march on Real Madrid in the race for RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol by making a bid for the £45 million-rated defender in January.
The 20-year-old was one of the standout young players at World Cup 2022 as he helped Croatia reach the semi-finals and beat Morocco in the third place play-off.
Gvardiol has attracted the attention of Chelsea and The Mirror reports that the Premier League club intend to make a move for him during the January transfer window.
Real Madrid are also interested, but would prefer to do a deal at the end of the season – which is also Leipzig’s preference.
But the Blues have already made contact with the centre-back’s representatives and are willing to table a three-and-a-half year contract.
Chelsea were the biggest spenders in the summer transfer window, splashing out around £278m, while they’ve already completed a deal to bring in Gvardiol's Leipzig team-mate Christopher Nkunku next summer.
Gvardiol has a deal to 2027 with Leipzig, who he joined from Dinamo Zagreb in July 2020 before spending the first season on loan at the Croatian club.
The youngster has impressed in the Bundesliga and the Champions League for the German side, winning the German Cup in his debut season last term.
He played every minute of Croatia’s stunning run to the last four at the World Cup and scored in their third place play-off win over Morocco.
Gvardiol is valued at €60m (£52m) by Transfermarkt.
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The Blues are one of three Premier League clubs looking to sign Josko Gvardiol, who has starred for Croatia at World Cup 2022.
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