Mateo Kovacic has outlined the role he played in Chelsea's summer pursuit of RB Leipzig defender and Croatia teammate Josko Gvardiol – and is hopeful he will one day play alongside the 20-year-old at club level.
Gvardiol emerged as a key defensive target for Chelsea early into the transfer window but co-owner and interim sporting director Todd Boehly was unable to coax Leipzig into selling the highly-regarded centre-back. And a late attempt to secure a deal that would have seen Gvardiol arrive at Stamford Bridge ahead of the 2023/24 campaign also proved unsuccessful.
Chelsea aren't believed to have dropped their interest in Gvardiol and a move may be revisited in January, although they are likely to face competition from a number of European sides and Premier League champions Manchester City, who are also understood to be tracking the defender.
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Gvardiol followed in the footsteps of Kovacic in coming through the youth ranks at Dinamo Zagreb, who Chelsea face in their Champions League group stage opener tomorrow (Tuesday) evening. And the Blues midfielder was asked during his pre-match press conference about his influence in the attempted signing of Gvardiol.
Kovacic replied: “At the club, they asked me about Josko, I told them all the best. I don’t need to say anything about his football, they know what kind of player he is, and his character is excellent.
“I have seen in the national team how eager he is to play, he has a great career ahead of him, and I hope that one day we will play together in the club.”
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