RB Leipzig defender and long-term Chelsea transfer target Josko Gvardiol has been included in the L'Equipe team of the year for 2022. The team includes World Cup winner Lionel Messi as well as his Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe with Premier League stars Kevin De Bruyne, Virgil van Dijk, Kyle Walker and Casemiro included as well.
Gvardiol's national team captain Luka Modric is also included with the midfielder's club teammates Karim Benzema and Thibaut Courtois selected too alongside Bayern Munich left-back Theo Hernandez. Graham Potter's side had been admirers of the 20-year-old prior to the World Cup, however, the defender's impressive displays in Qatar for Croatia, who finished third, have undoubtedly seen the centre-back's price tag rise.
It is understood that the west London outfit aren't the only Premier League side interested in acquiring the Croatian's signature next month with Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham also believed to withhold an interest in the youngster.
Moreover, a world-record transfer fee for a defender is expected to be necessary to lure Gvardiol away from the Bundesliga side, according to transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, with the current record stood at £80million when Manchester United bought Harry Maguire from Leicester City in 2019.
Potter is yet to find a defensive combination he is comfortable with, having alternated between systems incorporating a back-three and a back- four with an array of different combinations regarding personnel with the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly, Trevoh Chalobah, Wesley Fofana, Thiago Silva, Marc Cucurella and Cesar Azpilicueta given run outs as centre-backs.
However, having won just one of their last six Premier League matches prior to the World Cup break, Blues fans will hope that the Chelsea head coach will have spent his time attempting to mastermind the start of a revival with his side potentially having to play eight matches before the end of January.
Therefore, securing a deal for Gvardiol and other targets as soon as possible is an absolute must if the west London side are to get back on track, with an eight point gap between them and fourth place Tottenham currently in their way.
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