New Chelsea manager Graham Potter has given a move for Josko Gvardiol the ‘go-ahead’ amid recent interest.
That’s according to reports emerging from Spain following the Blues’ interest in the 20-year-old centre-back this summer.
Chelsea approached Gvardiol’s current employers RB Leipzig with a €90m (£77.1m) offer which would see the Croatian starlet continue in Germany for another season before making the move to Stamford Bridge next summer.
However, the transfer never came to fruition, with Gvardiol instead extending his deal with Leipzig until 2027, seemingly protecting his sell-on value.
Following the dismissal of Thomas Tuchel last week, many may have been wondering how Potter would assess the squad, but it appears that the 47-year-old is open to bringing the 10-cap Croatian to west London.
According to Spanish media outlets (via Caught Offside), Potter has ‘given the go-ahead for Chelsea to pursue’ a deal for the defender.
The 6 ft 1 colossus has been labelled an ‘extraordinary talent’ and ‘physically very strong’ by former Bayern Munich striker and compatriot Ivica Olic, which could make him a very assured prospective addition on the left-hand side of Chelsea’s defence.
Gvardiol has already made more than 100 senior appearances between spells at Dinamo Zagreb and Leipzig and ranks in the top 5% among centre-backs across Europe over the past year for progressive passes, dribbles completed and interceptions per 90 minutes (FBref).
This hints at a player who is not only defensively sound in halting opposition attacks, but also adept when surging forward himself in trying to create opportunities for his own team.
With the 22-year-old Wesley Fofana already brought in this summer, acquiring the services of Gvardiol – ‘one of the greatest European defensive talents’, as hailed by Leipzig’s former sporting director Markus Krosche – could be another significant investment for the future.
