100m rated defender Josko Gvardiol has handed interested Premier League clubs, including Liverpool, a massive transfer boost by revealing that he wants to play in the Premier League one day.
The RB Leipzig man was subject to interest from Chelsea over the summer and in the beginning of the January transfer window, but a deal ultimately proved too expensive for the Blues and they signed Benoit Badiashile from AS Monaco instead.
And Gvardiol revealed that Leipzig’s decision not to sell him was something that he found hard to come to terms with, with the 21-year-old desperate to move to the Premier League in the future.
“My agent told me: Chelsea is extremely interested”, he began. “You think about a serious offer from huge club like Chelsea but Leipzig said they didn’t want to sell me”
“I really struggled with that decision but yes, we didn’t make an agreement”.
“I want to play in the Premier League one day. I knew that I needed to take a few steps more before but I really want to play there”
Chelsea have invested heavily in their defence over the past 12 months, with Wesley Fofana and Badiashile arriving as cover in central defence while Levi Colwill continues to impress on loan and is set to be re-integrated to the Blues’ squad next summer upon his return.
With other areas needing to be addressed by the Blues before they return to strengthening their backline, including fixing their midfield and signing a striker, there is a chance for other interested parties to swoop in on Gvardiol, with Liverpool reportedly keen on the Croatian starlet as they look to find alternatives to Joel Matip and Joe Gomez.
Whether they will be able to offer the sort of fee that would tempt Leipzig into a sale, and fight off likely competition from other sides around Europe, is another matter. However, they will take solace in the fact that the defender is clearly keen on testing himself in the English top flight, handing them an advantage over other suitors ahead of what could be a massive summer of spending for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
