RB Leipzig head coach Marco Rose is hopeful Josko Gvardiol will remain at the club this summer despite increasing interest from a number of sides across Europe.
Chelsea held talks with the Bundesliga club over a deal for the Croatia international last summer. Yet no agreement could be reached and on deadline day, Leipzig announced that Gvardiol had signed a new contract until 2027. "I am very grateful to those responsible at the club that they plan long-term with me and want to continue on this successful path with me," the defender said.
Gvardiol's form at the start of the campaign was inconsistent. However, he recovered and was hugely impressive at the World Cup for Croatia, who reached the quarter-final stage. Interest from Chelsea remained but with no January deal possible the Blues opted to bring in Benoit Badiashile from Monaco for £34million.
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Badiashile, also a left-footed centre-back, has impressed in his early outings under Graham Potter and formed a solid partnership with Thiago Silva. Chelsea are also hopeful of incorporating Levi Colwill into their squad ahead of next season – and football.london reported earlier this month that talks over a new contract have been held with the academy graduate.
If Chelsea opt against returning for Gvardiol in the summer transfer window, there will be plenty of other European heavyweights willing to test Leipzig's resolve. But the Bundesliga side, according to reports in Germany, have earmarked a 2024 departure for the 21-year-old.
Add in Leipzig's desire to receive a fee in excess of the £80million Manchester United paid for Harry Maguire and it will not be easy for any club to prise Gvardiol away. And Rose is confident the young defender will still be part of his squad after the summer transfer window.
"Josko Gvardiol will be an RB Leipzig player next season as well. I am the coach and I am asking for that. He is happy here," Rose told tv2sport after Leipzig's 1-1 draw against Manchester City in the Champions League, a game in which Gvardiol scored. "He said he wants to play in the Premier League, but he didn’t say when."
Gvardiol's desire to play in the English top flight was reasserted last week an in an interview with The Times. "My goal in my career is to play in the Premier League," he said. "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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