Chelsea are planning to ramp up the pressure on Real Madrid in the battle for Josko Gvardiol by making a move to land him next month.
The Croatia defender, who plays for RB Leipzig, is wanted by both clubs but Los Blancos had planned to wait until the summer to try to sign him. And Leipzig, too, would rather sell him at the end of the season.
However, Chelsea don’t want to wait and the Bundesliga outfit are bracing themselves for a move from the Blues when the transfer window opens in two weeks. Gvardiol’s deal with the Bundesliga club runs until June 2027, having signed from Dinamo Zagreb in his homeland in 2021. He cost just north of £15million then but his value has tripled with Leipzig ready to demand around £45m with performance-related add-ons to follow.
Chelsea have spoken with Gvardiol’s agents about an initial contract offer of three-and-a-half seasons.
Real are not understood to have reached that stage of their pursuit yet but they are expected to offer the player a four-year deal from the summer. Rumours in Spain say there is a hope Bernabeu favourite Luka Modric, Gvardiol’s compatriot, could influence his decision.
But the defender will respect Leipzig’s call on whether or not to consider offers next month before making his choice.
Meanwhile, Christopher Nkunku's move to Chelsea is done and dusted — with the France star joining the club in the summer.
The Blues moved quickly in the past few months to stave off competition for Nkunku, who also plays for RBL.
And after terms were agreed prior to the World Cup, the deal to take him to Stamford Bridge in the summer has now been signed and sealed. Nkunku will cost Chelsea around £53million.
In the meantime, Chelsea will look for a loan striker for the rest of the season after Armando Broja suffered a campaign-ending knee injury. The Blues will rival Manchester United, who are also on the lookout to take a goalscorer on loan.
