Chelsea are considering a move for RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, as Thomas Tuchel eyes more additions under the new owners.
The Blues are in the market to sign another centre-back this summer after signing Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli. Their search for top-class defenders has been well documented. The departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, and the uncertain futures of Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso have forced the west Londoners to prioritise defensive reinforcements.
Manchester City’s unwillingness to sell Nathan Ake has seen Chelsea turn their attention to Josko Gvardiol and make him their No.1 transfer target. Gvardiol, 20, is highly rated across Europe and featured 46 times for RB Leipzig last season, helping the club win the DFB Pokal and clinch Champions League qualification.
Cesar Azpilicueta to leave Chelsea?
Cesar Azpilicueta could be another defender to follow Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen’s suit out of Chelsea this summer.
The Spaniard, 32, who often filled in at centre-back last season, has been with the Blues since 2012 and made 474 appearances for the club so far. However, he is eager to leave the club to return to Spain, with Barcelona touted as a possible destination.
Azpilicueta is understood to have agreed personal terms with Barcelona earlier this month and remains hopeful of joining his ex-teammate Christensen at Camp Nou ahead of the new campaign. With the versatile defender entering the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge, the west London club want £7 million to sell their skipper as they are reluctant to lose him on a free next year.
Josko Gvardiol could be a fantastic signing for the Pensioners
Josko Gvardiol has garnered a lot of attention from top European clubs within the last 18 months or so, with Chelsea among the admirers. He had a solid debut campaign with RB Leipzig where the defender registered two goals and as many assists in 29 league outings, playing a key role behind the club finishing fourth on the Bundesliga table.
Tall, strong and aggressive with excellent technical qualities, the Croatia international is a modern-day defender who will improve Chelsea’s backline instantly. The youngster has the physical qualities to go hand-in-hand with the technical qualities on the ball, which should see him not face much difficulty adjusting to the demands of Premier League football.
A left-footed defender, Gvardiol can play in a flat back four, on the left of a back three or as a left-back when needed. Such versatility to operate in different positions across the backline would make him a good fit in Thomas Tuchel’s system at Chelsea. And being left-footed may see him add more balance to the Blues backline that is presently undergoing a revamp.
The Croat is a young player with loads of potential, and if signed, he could become a valuable asset to the Chelsea backline for the best part of the decade.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
