Chelsea's hopes of signing RB Leipzig and Croatia defender Josko Gvardiol have taken a major blow. Todd Boehly is keen to add further signings to Graham Potter's squad in the January transfer window with Gvardiol having been monitored by the club for some time, football.london understands.
The Blues signed Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana in the summer, along with Marc Cucurella, who is able to play at centre-back when needed. Gvardiol is considered to be one of the top defensive talents in Europe and has performed brilliantly for Croatia at the World Cup in Qatar.
football.london understands that Chelsea have agreed a pre-contract with Gvardiol's Leipzig teammate Christopher Nkunku ahead of the summer transfer window. The Blues will only need to activate Nkunku's £52million release clause to complete the deal and hope that Gvardiol will follow the French forward to Stamford Bridge.
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Gvardiol helped Croatia qualify for the World Cup round of 16 stage, keeping a clean sheet against Belgium as Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku missed a number of golden opportunities to score. The 20-year-old centre-back opened up on the possibility of moving to Real Madrid in the future after the 0-0 draw against Belgium.
Speaking to Relevo, the Croatian defender said: "Real Madrid is the biggest club in the world, so who knows. Maybe one day I can play there."
When asked whether he would like to play for Madrid one day in his career, Gvardiol responded: "I would like to, yes. Real Madrid, there's no need [to learn about the club], I already know everything. I know it's the biggest club in the world and how important it is to be linked to such a team.
Should Madrid come calling for Gvardiol, it would leave Chelsea having to look elsewhere for defensive reinforcements as they are likely to be unable to match the Spanish giants in the transfer market, especially if they are to miss out on a top four spot come the end of the season. RB Leipzig are said to want a fee in the region of £78million for their talented defender with his contract set to expire in 2027, according to The Athletic.
Todd Boehly will be hoping he can convince Gvardiol that the Blues are the right next step in his career as he aims to add more young, talented players to Potter's squad. It's clear from the 20-year-old's comments that he has his heart set on a move to the Santiago Bernabeu at some point in the future, however.
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