Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea transfer target Josko Gvardiol confirms desire to play in England
According to German journalist Christian Falk for GiveMeSport (h/t Football.London; 23 January 2023), Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea were two names linked with RB Leipzig’s 21-year-old centre-back Josko Gvardiol in the winter transfer window this year.
He wrote:
“I would say Chelsea would be favourites if they pay that amount, and also Tottenham can hope, but it’s really expensive.”
He is believed to have a release clause worth 97million Pounds in his contract with the Bundesliga club. He signed for them in the summer of 2021, when Leipzig were desperately searching for a replacement for the outgoing Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konate.
The former joined Bayern Munich while the latter went to Liverpool. It’s safe to say the Croatia international has done very well to plug a big hole in the Bundesliga outfit’s defence.
He was also very impressive for his national team when they secured a third-place finish at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Now, in what may come as a boost for Spurs and Chelsea, the player has confirmed his desire to play among England’s elite.
In a long interview, as published in the Times (Subscription Required), Gvardiol talked about a lot of things, including how he almost joined Leeds United from Dinamo Zagreb. He said:
“I had two options, between Leeds and Leipzig. [Marcelo] Bielsa was the coach and I don’t know if you know this but my goal in my career is to play in the Premier League.I didn’t speak with Bielsa but of course he sends a few people and they came to Zagreb.
“I met these guys and they show me it was something like a plan how they see me in their style of football. I mean, when they presented it everything looked good and you could maybe see yourself there in that moment.”
It seems that he made the right choice. Leipzig are currently fifth in the Bundesliga table and are gunning for another season of UEFA Champions League football.
Marcelo Bielsa, meanwhile, has long departed the Whites, who are currently in the relegation zone. Hopefully, Gvardiol is enticed by the prospect of playing for us alongside Cristian Romero in defence.
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It may well come down to who offers how much for Gvardiol, and if the proposal satisfies Leipzig, who still have the defender contracted to them until the summer of 2027 (Transfermarkt).
His release clause seems almost unaffordable so let’s hope the Bundesliga club are willing to compromise – a scenario which could be unlikely if financial titans such as Chelsea are involved in the race.
