Chelsea have been hugely outgoing since the arrival of American investor Todd Boehly. The Blues have been keen to make a couple of landmark signings in the defensive third, but here is one that got away. Josko Gvardiol has been a Chelsea target for a while now but there is no move to be made. The RB Leipzig man has just signed a new contract with the Bundesliga club.
Chelsea Target Has Decided His Future
✍️ #JOŠKO2027
Joško Gvardiol has signed a one-year contract extension until 2027! 📋
🔴⚪ #WeAreLeipzig pic.twitter.com/5HPsVNOXUD
— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) September 1, 2022
Building on Strong Foundations In Germany
Josko Gvardiol, despite being just 20, has attracted huge interest from Premier League outfits. Tottenham Hotspur were pursuing the Croat but it seemed that their London rivals were going to win out. With deadline day now upon us, the Chelsea target has signed a new, bumper deal with RB Leipzig.
Having been born in Zagreb, it was in the capital of Croatia where he began his career. After just one season with the first team, he earned the move to Germany. Leipzig did loan him back to Dinamo Zagreb for a single season but when he got the chance to play in the Bundesliga, he grasped it with both hands.
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Following the departures of Ibrahim Konate and Dayot Upamecano to Liverpool and Bayern Munich respectively, Gvardiol had a natural path into the starting line-up.
Alongside Frenchman Mohamed Simakan, the Leipzig man has thrived, with the pair proving to be formidable. At a combined age of only 42, this is once again evidence of the wonders of this Red Bull system. This new deal, a one-year extension, will keep with the club until 2027. To make matters worse for the Blues, if they do want to go back in for the Croatian international, there is no release clause.
Chelsea reportedly offered £77 million for the defender, but this was rejected.
Exclusive: Chelsea are in advanced talks with RB Leipzig to sign Joško Gvardiol! Deal would be completed now but with Gvardiol staying at RB Leipzig, he’d join Chelsea in June 2023. 🚨🔵 #CFC
Official proposal submitted today around €90m. Negotiations ongoing on clubs side. pic.twitter.com/3HKoSIjcyN
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 30, 2022
Not the Only Chelsea Target
As previously mentioned, the side from West London aren’t holding back in this window. Kalidou Koulibaly was the headline signing for the backline, but Wesley Fofana’s arrival is equally as mouth-watering. The 21-year-old doesn’t have a single French cap to his name and suffered an awful injury last term, thus the sizable fee involved has raised a lot of eyebrows.
Read More: Every Premier League Transfer Completed in Summer 2022
Out with the old and in with the new when it comes to Fofana and also Ajax man Edson Alvarez, Marcos Alonso being one of the more senior names who has been linked with a move away. Alongside the Mexican from Ajax, former Arsenal man Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is still spoken about as a Chelsea target in these final hours.
