Manchester United are reportedly heavily involved in the race for RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol.
Gvardiol has had an impressive World Cup campaign with Croatia so far. Sporting a protective face mask, the 20-year-old has shown excellent composure on the ball, despite his young age, and his defensive awareness has been key to Croatia’s success so far.
When performing at such a high level at his age, there are bound to be clubs showing an interest in him, and according to Florian Plettenberg in the tweet below, Manchester United and Chelsea are heavily involved in the race to secure his signature.
News #Gvardiol: We’ve been told: NO release clause in his contract until 2027. But lots of top clubs informed about him for 2023. #CFC, #MUFC, Real and Barcelona highly involved. For Tuchel he was the main target. Boehly also focused on him. NO contact with Bayern. @SkySportDE ?? pic.twitter.com/XQsOqjzpEx
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) December 5, 2022
With Thiago Silva reaching the latter years of his career, finding a long-term replacement would be a smart idea for Chelsea.
With Manchester United recently bringing in Lisandro Martinez, Gvardiol may prefer a move to Chelsea to guarantee regular game time.
The 20-year-old is already a regular for both his club and country at the age of 20, so it’s no surprise to see some of the biggest clubs around Europe showing an interest, especially considering he’s a left-footed central defender, a rare profile that modern-day managers like to have in a back three.