Chelsea are in talks with RB Leipzig over a €90m deal which would see centre-back Josko Gvardiol join the Blues in 2023, 90min can confirm.
Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella have already arrived to bolster Chelsea’s defence, with Wesley Fofana set to follow in a £75m deal, but club officials are looking to the future and bracing themselves for the inevitable departures of some of their older players.
Thiago Silva will turn 38 in September, while Koulibaly is 31 and Cesar Azpilicueta just turned 33, so Chelsea are not finished with their defensive overhaul.
While further reinforcements are not planned this summer, sources have confirmed to 90min that Chelsea believe they will need a new defender in 2023 and have focused their efforts on landing Gvardiol.
Croatia international Gvardiol was a target earlier this summer before the attention turned to Fofana, but Leipzig refused to sell.
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Chelsea’s interest has remained, however, and the Blues are now in talks over a deal which would see Gvardiol spend the rest of the current campaign on loan with his current employers before moving to Stamford Bridge in 2023.
A fee of around €90m (£77m) has been discussed and both teams are understood to be confident that a deal will be agreed in the near future.
Sources have told 90min that Chelsea have found this summer’s pursuit of Fofana to be frustrating and they are keen to avoid another drawn-out saga next year, instead opting to try and arrange a transfer now.
Also arriving at Chelsea in 2023 will be academy graduate Levi Colwill, who is currently on a season-long loan with Brighton which does not include an option to buy.
