Vivell has ‘knocked on the door’ for £97m star at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea technical director Christopher Vivell asked RB Leipzig about signing Josko Gvardiol this month, Christian Falk has told GiveMeSport.

The BILD journalist says Vivell was knocked back by his old club a few weeks ago but was given encouragement over a summer deal.

Chelsea transfer news – Josko Gvardiol

Transfer insider Dean Jones recently told GMS that Chelsea had been the team leading the race for Gvardiol.

The player himself has also spoken about the Blues’ interest, which dates back to last summer.

“They [Chelsea] did not give up,” Gvardiol told Danas. “But it was agreed that we would go for the winter. Winter has come, so we need to see what and how to proceed, but it’s okay, there’s still plenty of time, we’ll see.”

Whoever ends up signing Gvardiol is going to have to pay a gigantic fee for his signature. According to Sky Sport reporter Florian Plettenberg, he has a €110m (around £97m) release clause in his contract, showing just how much Leipzig value him.

What has Christian Falk said about Christopher Vivell, Josko Gvardiol and Chelsea?

Falk says Vivell has been trying to sign Gvardiol and while he has failed so far, there is a chance he could bring him to Chelsea in the summer.

Speaking to GMS, the BILD journalist, who also covers transfers for CaughtOffside, said: “I know Vivell, the technical director, knocked a few weeks ago at the door, the telephone door, of Leipzig and asked for January.

“There was a complete no, but he also asked about the possibility in the summer and there is a chance.”

Read more: January Transfer Window 2023: Confirmed Deals, Rumours and Everything You Need To Know

Why is Christopher Vivell trying to sign Josko Gvardiol?

Chelsea have had quite a few problems in central defence this season. Wesley Fofana picked up a bad injury before the World Cup, while Kalidou Koulibaly has not quite adapted yet to the Premier League.

“When he has the ball at his feet, he hesitates. He is not playing quickly. He does not do what he did at Napoli,” former England manager Fabio Capello said on Sky Sports Italy (via Metro) earlier this season.

“At Napoli, he commanded, he came forward, he made long passes. Now he has the ball between his feet, he does not know who to pass it to and he always plays passes to someone only a few metres away.”

When you consider that and the fact that Thiago Silva is now 38, signing another centre-half like Gvardiol, who has been described as an “exceptional defender” by The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg, makes sense.

And having worked at Leipzig before joining Chelsea, it would not be a shock to hear that Vivell is completely on board with this transfer either.

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