“His price”- Chelsea have potential advantage over Real Madrid in race for 20-year-old defender

Chelsea told the way they can beat Real Madrid to sign Josko Gvardiol

Speaking to Soccersnews.nl (h/t Football.London), transfer guru Gianluca di Marzio reveals the best way Chelsea can beat Real Madrid to sign Croatia international Josko Gvardiol.

The Blues wanted to sign the 20-year-old in the preceding summer transfer window, but the player instead signed a contract extension with RB Leipzig.

They have been linked with him since, but Real Madrid and both Manchester clubs have also joined the race. Di Marzio says that Madrid would be looking to sign the defender in the coming summer, hence Chelsea’s best chance to sign him would be in January.

Here’s what the transfer guru exactly said (h/t Football.London):

“I know that Chelsea and Real Madrid are the two clubs that are showing the most interest at this moment. They already made offers.”

“His price is going to be higher after this World Cup and probably Chelsea has the best possibility to do this deal in January, whereas Madrid prefers to do it during the summer. I know that the most important clubs in Europe are fighting for Gvardiol.”

Irrespective of what Lionel Messi did to him in the World Cup semi-final (Messi can do that to anybody to be fair), Gvardiol remains one of the best centre-backs in the tournament.

It is not a one-off though, as the 20-year-old has had an excellent time at Leipzig in terms of performance and consistency.

Signing him in January would not be a bad idea. We are potentially looking for a long-term replacement for veteran defender Thiago Silva, who is now 38 and has his contract expiring in the summer (Transfermarkt).

So, why not get Gvardiol in the door next month, make him settle down in the second half of this season and then have him fully ready from next season onwards? Sounds like a decent plan.

Co-owner Todd Boehly has made it clear that he will back the manager financially to sign the right and the best players. Gvardiol is one of the best. If the most plausible way to sign him is by offering a deal next month, so be it!

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• Chelsea one of the several clubs considering a move to sign Milan Skriniar

The 20-year-old is so young and yet experienced. He can bring quality and longevity to the team. Latter is dependent on his injury record.