- 13 hours ago
Revealed: Chelsea's Josko Gvardiol alternative
Stuart Telford
- 17 Dec 2022 16:56 CST
- 3 min read
RB Leipzig's asking price for Josko Gvardiol has skyrocketed following his impressive performances with Croatia at the World Cup. Chelsea have a Plan B should the 20-year-old prove too expensive.
Chelsea spent just shy of €200 million on defensive reinforcements last summer in signing Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella and Kalidou Koulibaly from Leicester, Brighton and Napoli respectively, but they remain in the market for a left-footed centre-back.
Gvardiol has long been tagged as their top target for the role, and was widely expected to follow RB Leipzig teammate Christopher Nkunku to Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.
READ: Which players are Chelsea watching at the World Cup?
But his performances for Croatia in Qatar have seen his asking price skyrocket, and Leipzig reportedly turned down a €110m bid from Manchester City recently. The onus isn't on them to sell, with Gvardiol under contract until June 2027.
Should the Blues be priced out of a move for Gvardiol an alternative has been identified in Piero Hincapie.
🇪🇨🤩 Have a look back at Piero Hincapie's first goals in the ⚫️❤️! pic.twitter.com/jQCJEBXys5
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) December 27, 2021
"Chelsea looking at Bayer Leverkusen central defender Piero Hincapie as potential alternative to RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol," Sky Sports' Dharmesh Sheth posted to his Twitter. "Hincapie played all of Ecuador's group games at the World Cup. Contract runs until 2026. Told deal for 20 year-old could be done at €30m."
How good is Hancapie?
Hincapie joined Leverkusen from Argentine side Talleres for just €6.4m in August 2021 before slotting straight into the Werkself's first-team, initially at centre-back but latterly playing left-back under Gerardo Seoane, who was replaced by Xabi Alonso as coach in October.
READ: CHO me the door! Chelsea's Hudson-Odoi only a 'short-term' solution for Leverkusen
He has averaged one shot-creating action, two tackles and three progressive passes per 90 minutes over the last year in the Bundesliga, putting him among the best league-wide for those figures among those in his position.
Still just 20, Hincapie has already racked up 24 caps with Ecuador. He is now rated at €23.3m by Football Transfers in-house algorithm. How much Leverkusen hold out for remains to be seen.
Read more about: Bundesliga, Premier League, Bayer 04, Chelsea, RB Leipzig, Josko Gvardiol, Piero Hincapié
