Red Bull Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol has revealed that he had the chance to sign for Leeds United under Marcelo Bielsa before he chose to join the Bundesliga side.
Gvardiol played every game for Croatia during their run to the World Cup semi-finals and has quickly become one of the most sought after defenders in Europe. The 21-year-old impressed during his time in Qatar and has since been tipped with a move to the Premier League, with a number of top-flight clubs reportedly interested in his services.
And now Gvardiol has revealed that before he made the move to Leipzig back in 2020, Leeds were also bidding to take him to Elland Road.
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“I had two options, between Leeds and Leipzig,” he told The Times. “[Marcelo] Bielsa was the coach and I don’t know if you know this but my goal in my career is to play in the Premier League.
“I didn’t speak with Bielsa but of course he sends a few people and they came to Zagreb. I met these guys and they show me it was something like a plan how they see me in their style of football. I mean, when they presented it everything looked good and you could maybe see yourself there in that moment.
“I knew that I needed to take a few steps more before I get [to the Premier League] one day. At the end Leipzig is a really good club and I feel good here. It’s important I play almost every game. I am very grateful to Dani Olmo because he was here and I spoke with him a lot of times before I decided to sign.”
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