Chelsea have been told that transfer target Josko Gvardiol will not be leaving RB Leipzig in January "under any circumstances". The Blues are still hoping to sign the defender but their long-term plans have also been hindered after Leipzig director Max Eberl made a major prediction regarding the Croatians future beyond 2023.
Despite Todd Boehly overseeing a huge defensive overhaul in the summer with Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella all arriving at the club for a combined total of £168million, the Blues made a late push to sign Gvardiol in the summer of 2022.
Left-footed defender Benoit Badiashile has since been signed for £33.7million by Chelsea from AS Monaco, putting to bed claims he was a short-term placeholder before the Blues push to sign Gvardiol by penning a seven-and-a-half-year contract.
