"My agent called me and said that Chelsea is extremely interested and, of course, you definitely think about a serious offer from a huge club like Chelsea," said Josko Gvardiol in a recent interview.
The Blues hoped to sign the Croatian defender last summer but current club RB Leipzig were reluctant to sell outside of an extortionate offer. Chelsea had spoken to Gvardiol's compatriot Mateo Kovacic about the defender's qualities, and even attempted a deal similar to that of Christopher Nkunku - to arrive at Stamford Bridge for the 2023/24 season.
That was also fruitless, and Gvardiol was content to remain in Germany for the moment. "Leipzig said they didn’t want to sell me. In the end I really struggled with that decision but we didn't make an agreement. It is what it is. I am here and I am fine with this because my idea had been to stay here. One season was not enough. This is my second season, even one more season would be great but we will see," he added.
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Chelsea did not immediately drop their interest and watched on as Gvardiol enjoyed an impressive World Cup outing. However, the January transfer window passed and the 21-year-old once again remained in Leipzig and Chelsea instead added Benoit Badiashile to the ranks. The Frenchman also operates on the left side of defence and is less than a year older than Gvardiol.
Nevertheless, another top class outing against Manchester City awaited on the world stage and while the likes of Real Madrid have also been linked to the defender, following the match Marco Rose reinforced that Gvardiol does not necessarily need to leave in the immediate future.
Gvardiol's next destination will certainly have an exciting prospect for the present and future but whether the deal makes sense for Chelsea is less clear than it once was. While Chelsea's floundering prospects for appearing in the 2023/24 Champions League campaign may cause issues in any competitive market, the centre-back may no longer fit the bill for the Blues' recruitment.
Gvardiol's growing profile will ensure that he goes for both a lofty fee and has the opportunity to earn a significant salary. While Chelsea have shown an intent to sign young players and they have not been intimidated by even record fees, they also hope to take advantage of a salary that may not be quite as exorbitant.
Badiashile's arrival for £34million perhaps ticks more boxes on that front, and he has settled in well alongside Thiago Silva, who has extended his Chelsea stay by a further year. Graham Potter has no shortage of options at the back with Trevoh Chalobah, Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly all at the club. While Silva and Koulibaly are older than 30, no other central defender is older than 23.
A significant signing may be required when Silva does depart, while speculation has already risen around Koulibaly's future. But the Blues may have another defender to reply upon this season - another who also prefers the left side of defence. Chelsea's hierarchy is already hard at work to extend Levi Colwill's stay in west London.
The 19-year-old defender is highly regarded by the club and though an injury has slowed his progress, Colwill has started to impress on loan at Brighton following an outstanding short-term move to Huddersfield in 2021/22. The Cobham product was included in Chelsea's first team squad that travelled to the USA for their summer tour.
There is little doubting that Gvardiol would be a blockbuster signing but securing Colwill's future and facilitating his integration into the first team has long been Chelsea's intention. Perhaps one that better fits with the philosophy the club hopes to utilise moving forwards.
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