Chelsea to try again for €90m defender in January
FT Desk
- 9 Sept 2022 16:15 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea spent nearly €300 million on players this summer before sacking Thomas Tuchel, but they didn't get every player they wanted…
Chelsea were the biggest spenders in the recent transfer window, making Leicester City's Wesley Fofana the most expensive defender of all time with a deal worth north of €80m.
Defence was a key area of concern for the Blues, who lost Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen on free transfers to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively at the end of last season.
Chelsea spending money in the transfer market: pic.twitter.com/uFamAR9Cfv
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) September 6, 2022
As well as Fofana, Chelsea dropped nearly €80m on Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly and €72m on Brighton's Marc Cucurella - another world record fee, this time for a left-back.
RB Leipzig's Croatian youngster Josko Gvardiol was linked with a move, with Chelsea's bid of €90m and a loan back to his current employers the most attractive bid received by the Bundesliga outfit.
Gvardiol extended Leipzig deal
But instead, Chelsea confirmed the aforementioned targets, and Gvardiol extended his deal at the Red Bull Arena until 2027. That doesn't mean the move is dead in the water.
"In winter, Chelsea will have another try for Josko Gvardiol," transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano told his Bundesliga equivalent Christian Falk on YouTube. Falk then followed up with his trademark "TRUE ✅" on Twitter.
Things have started to unravel at Leipzig this season, with the Saxony club dropping 10 of a possible 15 points in the league before losing 4-1 to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Domenico Tedesco was sacked as coach, to be replaced by former Red Bull Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund boss Marco Rose.
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Gvardiol's minutes have been managed so far this season, but last term the 20-year-old had some of the best numbers league-wide for interceptions, dribbles completed and progressive passes.
Chelsea would certainly be getting a formidable player - one who can just as easily play left-back and central defence - but how new manager Graham Potter would fit him in with Koulibaly, Cucurella and Ben Chilwell on the books remains to be seen.
