Transfer Centre

Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur 'facing competition from Inter Milan for Josko Gvardiol'

By Oliver Thomas, Senior Reporter | 03 October 2022

Chelsea, Spurs 'facing competition from Inter for Gvardiol'

Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur could reportedly face competition from Inter Milan for the signature of RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol.

The 20-year-old penned a contract extension with the German club at the beginning of September until the summer of 2027.

However, speculation continues to swirl regarding the defender's future and a switch to either the Premier League or Serie A has been mooted.

Chelsea were strongly linked with Gvardiol in the latter stages of the summer transfer window, but they eventually moved for Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella for a combined fee worth in excess of £130m.

Spurs were also credited with an interest in the Croatia international, but they opted to sign Clement Lenglet on loan from Barcelona while also making Cristian Romero's loan deal from Atalanta BC permanent.

RB Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol in action with Eintracht Frankfurt's Kristijan Jakic on September 3, 2022 © Reuters

Both London clubs are believed to still hold an interest in Gvardiol ahead of the January window, but Calciomercato claims that Inter Milan have now joined a 'very heated' race for his signature.

The Nerazzurri are in the market for a new centre-back as they are at risk of losing both Milan Skriniar and Stefan de Vrij when their contracts expire in June 2023, while Alessandro Bastoni is another to have been linked with an exit from San Siro.

Gvardiol has now emerged as one of Inter's latest targets, but the report adds that Leipzig will only entertain offers in excess of €60m (£52.1m) for the defender as a result of his new long-term contract.

Bayern Munich are also said to be closely monitoring his situation, while Manchester City are understood to be another English club who could join the race in 2023.

Leipzig sporting director Oliver Mintzlaff revealed at the end of August that he is hopeful that Gvardiol will remain at the club beyond this season.

RB Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol pictured on January 23, 2022 © Reuters

Speaking to Bild, Mintzlaff said: "Josko still has a contract with us until 2026. We assume that he will not only play with us this season, but also next season."

However, Gvardiol has refused to rule out the prospect of a move to Graham Potter's Chelsea side in the January transfer window.

"I'm happy at Leipzig, I still have a lot to learn and need to work on myself. I have people who deal with it, I didn't think about a transfer. We'll see what happens in the winter," the defender recently told reporters.

Gvardiol is not the only Leipzig player to have been linked with a transfer to Stamford Bridge as attacker Christopher Nkunku has reportedly signed a pre-contract agreement to join the Blues in the summer of 2023.

The 24-year-old is understood to have recently completed a 'secret medical' with Chelsea, who may need activate his €60m (£52.1m) release clause if they wish to get the deal over the line.