Chelsea are still in pole position to sign RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.
Both the Blues and their London rivals Tottenham have been linked with the 20-year-old, but Jones thinks it is the former who are leading the race for his signature.
What is the latest news involving Gvardiol?
Football Insider recently reported that Tottenham are closely monitoring Gvardiol.
According to the website, the Premier League club sent scouts to watch the Croatian in Leipzig’s recent 2-0 Champions League victory over Celtic.
Prior to the above, The Telegraph claimed that Chelsea are planning to sign both Gvardiol and his team-mate Christopher Nkunku.
As per the same outlet, the centre-back has a release clause set at around £44m.
What has Jones said about Gvardiol, Chelsea and Tottenham?
Jones thinks Chelsea are better placed than Tottenham to sign Gvardiol.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: “I think we’ve got to keep Chelsea in pole position here. They’ve worked with RB before and obviously the talks with Nkunku recently probably work in their favour.
“They haven’t got relationship building to do. They’ve got a better track record in recent years as a club of finishing in the Champions League and competing for big trophies, so I still think Chelsea will be the frontrunners.”
Read more: Champions League 2022/23: Fixtures, Draw, Dates, Schedule, Final, Teams and Everything We Know So Far
Why do Chelsea and Tottenham both want Gvardiol?
Because he is one of the best young defenders in the world.
“Gvardiol is an extraordinary talent,” former Bayern Munich striker and Croatia international Ivica Olic said when discussing his countryman. “He can play great long balls, is a fine technician and is physically very strong.”
Chelsea spent a lot of money on central defenders during the summer, bringing in Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly for over £100m (via Sky Sports). However, the latter is 31 now, while Thiago Silva recently turned 38 and is out of contract at the end of the season.
At 33 years of age, captain Cesar Azpilicueta is not getting any younger either. When you consider that and the above, it is easy to understand why the Blues want to bring Gvardiol to Stamford Bridge.
They clearly want to sign another young defender and Gvardiol is easily one of the best out there.
With that being the case, Chelsea and Graham Potter are obviously going to face competition from other clubs, so it looks like there could be a real transfer battle for the Leipzig star’s signature next year.
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