"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.
