Graham Potter find perfect replacement for Thiago Silva £70m in talk for January transfer window
Chelsea is expected to renew their interest in RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, but they will face competition in their pursuit of the center-back.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Chelsea only admitted defeat in the final hours of the transfer window. Discussions had taken place, and preliminary proposals had been made, but there was no indication that RB Leipzig was willing to lose another of their star players to the Premier League.
The Blues had made a strong push to sign Josko Gvardiol, who is seen as a long-term replacement for Thiago Silva, whose contract expires in the summer. Leipzig, however, remained steadfast in their desire to keep the 20-year-old. On transfer deadline day, as Chelsea rushed to complete two signings, the Bundesliga club announced the Croatia international had agreed to a new contract.
“I am grateful to the club’s executives for including me in their long-term plans, and they want to continue on with me,” Gvardiol said. “I am overjoyed to have signed an early contract extension until 2027 because there is still so much more I want to achieve with RB Leipzig.”
Will Gvardiol complete the contract? It’s extremely unlikely. Chelsea’s interest in the central defender has been parked rather than abandoned. Meanwhile, Manchester City is said to be monitoring Gvardiol in preparation for a future approach. They will not, however, be the Blues’ only opponents.
Chelsea and Leipzig have a good relationship. It’s one that emerged during Timo Werner’s 2020 negotiations and was then expanded upon by Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali as Werner returned to the German side in the summer after two mixed seasons in English football.
However, it is cold, hard cash that drives transfers, and if Chelsea returns for Gvardiol in January, they will have to pay a significant fee. In the summer, Leipzig’s asking price was thought to be in excess of £70 million, and it is not expected to be reduced.
It’s unclear whether Gvardiol would be open to a mid-season switch. However, he did leave the door open during an interview this week while on international duty. He told Index.hr, “I’m happy in Leipzig; I still have a lot to learn and work on myself.” I have people who deal with it; I didn’t consider transferring. We’ll see how things go in the winter.”
During the summer, it became clear that Boehly and Eghbali are determined to bring the brightest prospects in European football to Stamford Bridge. Wesley Fofana, still only 21 years old, joined Leicester City in a £70 million deal, along with a slew of teenage stars including Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesare Casadei.
The new ownership is working toward a long-term vision that combines these highly-rated youngsters with the club’s own academy stars. Graham Potter is regarded as critical to achieving it, and Chelsea is keen to bring in a sporting director prior to the World Cup to help plan and prepare for January, and more importantly, the transfer window next summer.
