Chelsea are hopeful that the takeover of the club can be completed by the end of this month which would spell good news ahead of the summer transfer window. With the current sanctions that are imposed on Roman Abramovich, the Blues are unable to conduct any transfer-related activity.
This played a significant part in Antonio Rudiger deciding that he wants to leave the club upon the expiry of his contract at the end of the season. Of course, Chelsea tried to negotiate with the German defender before the sanctions and were unsuccessful, but it left the Blues with their "hands tied".
"The situation is that he wants to leave the club," Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel said on Rudiger last month. "He informed me of this in a private talk. We gave everything - me and the club - but we could not fight anymore because of the actions.
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"Without the sanctions, we would at least be able to carry on fighting, but our hands are tied. We don't take it personally. It is his decision."
Andreas Christensen, like Rudiger, sees his contract at Chelsea expire at the end of next month. The Dane also looks set to leave the club with reports suggesting that he has already agreed a deal to sign for Barcelona on a free transfer.
With two centre-backs departing, it looks set to be a huge summer transfer window for Chelsea when it comes to defensive reinforcements. There are plenty of names being linked with a switch to Stamford Bridge, with Tuchel probably looking at bringing in at least two defenders.
football.london understands that Chelsea have recently sent scouts to watch Villarreal defender Pau Torres, but the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United are also interested in the Spanish centre-back. Meanwhile, Jules Kounde remains an option after the Blues tried to bring the Sevilla star to the Premier League last summer.
Another man whose name has been touted is RB Leipzig's young defender Josko Gvardiol. The 20-year-old has been a key figure for the German outfit this season, playing 29 times for the club in the Bundesliga after signing from Dinamo Zagreb last summer.
According to a recent report from GOAL, Chelsea have 'earmarked' Gvardiol as the ideal defender to bring in this summer. The Croatian is seen as a good option to play on the left-hand side of a back three, the position Rudiger has taken up for the majority of this season.
The report adds that Chelsea have been scouting Gvardiol ever since he broke through the academy at Dinamo. Club officials have attended matches to watch him in the flesh, while they have also monitored him with their video and data-driven scouting programmes.
What has Gvardiol said on his future?
Recently, the RB Leipzig defender insisted he was happy and content at the Red Bull Arena and that he would definitely be playing for the German club next season. Speaking to BILD, via BuliNews, he said: "I really enjoy every day with this great team, at this first-class club.
"I don't think about anything else. And if you ask me if I'll play here next year: Yes, of course."
Those comments from Gvardiol came less than two months ago, but as we know, things and situations in football can change very quickly. Something that could be bad news for Chelsea, though, is that the Croatian defender is a Liverpool supporter and has been since he was a child.
Fortunately for the Blues, the Reds are pretty stacked in the centre-back department. Jurgen Klopp has Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip as options right now, meaning it's unlikely that the club will look in the transfer market in that regard anytime soon.
Speaking to 24 Sata last year, Gvardiol was asked who his favourite club was and responded: "Liverpool. Since I was a little boy, my dad and I watched Liverpool matches.
"I grew up with only them. When I took football more seriously, I started following them and I definitely want the Premier League and Liverpool."
How does Gvardiol compare with Chelsea's defenders?
Gvardiol is very calm and composed on the ball, the epitome of a modern-day central defender. In fact, the Leipzig man is second - with Joshua Kimmich at the top - of the most passes completed table in the Bundesliga, with 2099.
Rudiger actually has more than that in the Premier League with 2174, but the German has played one more match than Gvardiol. Cesar Azpilicueta is the next defender on the list for Chelsea in the passes completed table, but he is way behind on 1539.
Gvardiol is also in the top 10 when it comes to tackles won in their own half in the Bundesliga. The youngster has won the ball back on 90 occasions when the opposition are attacking Leipzig. In comparison to Rudiger, he has 21 more, with the Chelsea defender 29th in the Premier League table for the same metric with 69 tackles. Thiago Silva is 22nd on the chart with 73 tackles.
In the 29 matches Gvardiol has played in the German top-flight, the defender has won 127 aerial duels and has made 76 tackles. He has also made 17 blocks in the process. Rudiger, meanwhile, having played one more match in the Premier League, has one 106 aerial duels (21 less than Gvardiol), won 79 tackles (three more) and made 11 blocks (six less).
The stats of both defenders are pretty similar. When taking into consideration that Rudiger is around nine years Gvardiol's senior, though, then the stats make for pretty good reading for the young Croatian.
