Chelsea have been dealt a huge blow to their hopes of signing Josko Gvardiol this summer as RB Leipzig begin to play hardball. The 21-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in the summer but a deal collapsed after he decided to sign a contract extension at the Red Bull Arena instead.
football.london understand that the Blues remain interested in Gvardiol despite having signed three centre-backs across the previous two transfer windows; Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana in the summer as well as Benoit Badiashile in January. With Thiago Silva in the latter stages of his career, Chelsea are aware that the Croatia international is somebody who will become world-class in years to come.
It's said that the west Londoners are long-admirers of Gvardiol and have kept tabs on his development since he first made a name for himself at Dinamo Zagreb. After impressing at the World Cup, interest in the youngster's signature has only grown so acquiring the youngster's signature could prove to be a difficult task.
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And Leipzig already appear to be playing hardball. According to Sky Sports Germany, higher-ups at the German side are adamant that they want to keep Gvardiol at the club until 2024.
The report states that selling the defender is not in Leipzig's plan this summer - even if an offer in the region of €100million (£87.9million) is submitted. Sky Sports Germany outline that Chelsea are joined by Real Madrid, Manchester City and Liverpool in the race to sign Gvardiol.
In an interview with wettfreunde, Gianluca Di Marzio branded the Croatian as the 'perfect defender'. The transfer expert said: "Every top club wants him so it’s difficult to say who the favourites to sign him are.
"He’s the perfect defender for every top club in the world like Real Madrid and in the Premier League from Chelsea to Liverpool because Liverpool need a new young defender. It will be one of the most interesting transfer sagas this summer."
In January, Gvardiol revealed how Chelsea's pursuit in the summer failed to materialise. As quoted by Goal, he told Danas: "They [Chelsea] did not give up but it was agreed that we would go for the winter.
"Winter has come, so we need to see what and how to proceed, but it's okay, there's still plenty of time, we'll see. Since I was a child, I always gravitated towards the English league.
"We all know what kind of league it is. I don't know if I'm mature enough and ready for that league. We will see, when I feel that this is the moment, that I have crossed a certain level and reached the border in Germany, then I will look further."
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