Reported Chelsea target Josko Gvardiol has now been named the most valuable defender in world football.
That’s according to the CIES Football Observatory, who rank the RB Leipzig man as the ninth most valuable footballer in the game.
The Blues have been reportedly interested in a deal to sign the Croatian international since last summer, when they made a late swoop to attempt to sign him.
This was despite already adding Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana to their ranks ahead of the new season.
After just missing out on the transfer, Blues fans were forced to watch with frustration as he enjoyed a sensational World Cup campaign.
Gvardiol was arguably the strongest player on a Croatia side who secured a remarkable third placed finish in Qatar.
Gvardiol most expensive defender
The Blues are still linked with a deal in a future transfer window to sign the defender, with them having a strong relationship with Leipzig.
Timo Werner was granted with his return to his prior club last summer, while it has been widely reported a deal to sign Christopher Nkunku has been completed.
However, recent claims have suggested the price tag the Bundesliga side are looking for has cooled interest for now.
This is backed up CIES’s rankings, with Gvardiol ranked above the likes of Ruben Dias and Chelsea’s own Reece James.
A move for Gvardiol off the back of his World Cup campaign is likely to be a club-record move for Chelsea, something they have been hesitant to commit to in recent days.
Reports have claimed they ended up not bidding nearly as much as expected to sign Enzo Fernandez. Talks regarding signing him have pretty much collapsed.
The Blues may have already moved on from Gvardiol with the awaited signing of Benoit Badiashile from Monaco.
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