Chelsea have renewed their interest in Red Bull Leipzig central defender Josko Gvardiol, according to reports.
The Blues have been long-term admirers of the Croatian after his performances in the Bundesliga. Gvardiol first attracted interest during his days with Dinamo Zagreb and has caught the eye of some of Europe's best since his €18.8million (£16.7million) move to Germany.
Gvardiol's performances at last year's Qatar World Cup had resulted in him being strongly linked with a January move to Stamford Bridge, but Benoit Badiashile was instead signed after Gvardiol signed a new deal with Leipzig.
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However, football.london understands that Chelsea remain interested in Gvardiol, despite their abundance of central defenders at Graham Potter's disposal. The Times have reported that Todd Boehly has renewed his interest in the defender ahead of the summer.
However, the U.S billionaire faces an expensive ultimatum. Gvardiol's newly-signed contract is understood to include a release clause that comes into effect from 2024. Should Chelsea want to sign the defender, they must act this year to avoid paying a £97million release clause.
The current transfer saga isn't the first time the Croatian has been linked with a move to the Premier League. Before his transfer to Germany, he was close to joining Leeds United. In an interview discussing his failed move to Elland Road, Gvardiol expressed his desire to play in England.
"I was really confused because one month before the window starts I was upstairs with the sporting director and he says, ‘Yeah Josko, we are not going to sell you, we need you, we believe in you,’ and I was like ok I am fine with this, I can stay here, I like it here, all I need is to work on myself, to play, to win something else. It was like this until the last two days," he told The Times.
"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. 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."
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