Chelsea to sign €87m defender - but then give him away!
FT Desk
- 31 Aug 2022 10:38 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea are on the verge of agreeing a deal for RB Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol for €87 million, but the Croatian centre-back would spend the rest of the season back on loan in the Bundesliga.
Gvardiol has been in high demand since bursting onto the scene with Leipzig last season. He was signed from Dinamo Zagreb in 2020 but loaned back, in a similar deal to what Chelsea are now proposing, before impressing last term.
Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur were previously linked with a move for the 20-year-old left footer, but Chelsea have stolen a march on their rivals but offering Leipzig the opportunity to keep the player for the remainder of this season.
💭 Did you know... no player under the age of 2️⃣1️⃣ has played more minutes in the #Bundesliga than Josko #Gvardiol. 📈 👏 pic.twitter.com/n8bu9s6XK3
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) February 5, 2022
Leipzig had been adamant that they didn't want to sell Gvardiol in the current transfer window, with their CEO Oliver Minstzlaff saying on Thurday that: "Josko still has a contract with us until 2026. We assume that he will not only play with us this season, but also next season as well."
Chelsea lost Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen on free transfers to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively earlier this summer, but they have since spent €110m on defenders Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella.
And the Blues are about to drop another €93m on Leicester's Wesley Fofana, making him the most expensive defender of all time.
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How good is Gvardiol?
A powerful left-footed defender who is equally happy playing in a three-man defence as he is at left wing-back, Gvardiol started 28 of a possible 34 Bundesliga for Leipzig last season as they finished fourth, qualifying for the Champion League.
He averaged more than five progressive passes and carries per 90 minutes lst term, and completed three interceptions and one dribble per game - putting him in the 90th percentile or better by each measure among players in his position league-wide.
