Revealed: Chelsea’s rejected bid for Josko Gvardiol

Suraj Radia

• Updated: 6 Sep 2022 16:25 CDT
• 3 min read

Mateo Kovavic has revealed he was asked by Chelsea on his opinion of Josko Gvardiol after the Blues had an approach for the defender turned down by RB Leipzig.

Gvardiol has established a reputation as one of the best young defenders in the world since joining Lepzig in 2020 and Chelsea attempted to sign the 20-year-old prior to the transfer window closing.

The deal would have seen Gvardiol join the Premier League side next summer but a bid of £77 million was eventually rejected by Leipzig.

Kovacic is international teammates with Gvardiol and admitted he was the one who urged the club to pursue a move for his Croatian compatriot.

Kovacic said: “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.”

Gvardiol ended up signing a new five-year contract with Leipzig following the interest.

Related articles

Out of contract in 2022: The best free agents available on a Bosman

Football Transfer News LIVE: Tomiyasu signs new Arsenal contract

Premier League 2022/23 summer transfers: All the completed deals

Will Gvardiol join Chelsea?

The Blues had identified Gvardiol as a long-term target and were willing to splash out potentially a world-record fee for a defender but Leipzig had no intention of selling.

With the likes of Manchester City also interested, the Bundesliga outfit were keen to tie Gvardiol down to a new contract despite him still having four years left on his previous deal.

Chelsea were willing to sign Gvardiol in addition to their £72m signing of Wesley Fofana, indicating new owner Todd Boehly’s ambition to have the pair at the heart of his defence.

Should Chelsea revisit their interest in Gvardiol next summer, it would likely require a significantly higher fee following his extension.

The left-footer has been capped ten times by his country, scoring once, and he made 46 appearances in all competitions for Leipzig last season.