Chelsea legend DEMANDS club to sign Man City target this summer

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 24 Jul 2023 16:55 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea legend Gus Poyet has urged his former side to sign Manchester City target Josko Gvardiol this summer in light of Wesley Fofana’s recent injury set-back.

Fofana, 23, suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in pre-season training and will be sidelined for the rest of 2023, and possibly longer.

MORE: Premier League 2023/24 summer transfers: All the Done Deals

With the Frenchman set to be injured for the majority, if not all, of the 2023/24 campaign, Chelsea have been linked with signing a replacement, but some reports suggest they will only push hard for a new defender if they are the correct fit.

Currently, Chelsea now have four senior centre-backs on their books - Thiago Silva, Benoit Badiashile, Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah - along with youngster Bashir Humpreys, who spent the back-end of last season on loan at German side Paderborn.

MORE: Chelsea set to IGNORE Pochettino's wishes by selling first-team star

What has Poyet said?

Poyet, who made 144 appearances for Chelsea between 1997 and 2001, believes that RB Leipzig and Croatia defender Gvardiol is the perfect player for Chelsea. “If I were Chelsea, I would sign a defender,” he admitted to Safe Betting Sites.

"I’m not saying they can’t play the ones that are currently there, but when you lose a player like Fofana for the whole season, you need to react because I’m sure that he was one of the four main central defenders.

“Which kind of player you get, whether it's a young one or an experienced player, is up to [Mauricio] Pochettino. It is an interesting option because sometimes you may want to bring in someone with experience if Thiago Silva can’t play, so it would be an interesting decision but they definitely need a defender.

"Out of the defenders out there, the one I like is Man City’s target, Josko Gvardiol, so it’s going to be difficult to get him. But it’s about the characteristics, and that’s a question for Pochettino.”

Gvardiol was heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge last summer, but the Blues opted to sign the aforementioned Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly instead. Fofana is now injured, while Koulibaly has been sold to Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Hilal.

Man City are expected to sign Gvardiol this summer, but despite some reports suggesting the move is a foregone conclusion, RB Leipzig sporting director Max Eberl told Sky Sports Germany: “There is no agreement with Manchester City. Not even close.”