Football News : Chelsea found replacement for Cesar Azpilicueta in name of Gvardiol

Josko Gvardiol of RB Leipzig is reportedly one among Chelsea's top targets to replace Cesar Azpilicueta, who is reportedly linked to Barcelona. The 20-year-old has made a name for himself in the centre of Domenico Tedesco's defence, earning a reputation as one of Europe's brightest defensive starlets.

Gvardiol, who has experience playing in a back three for Leipzig, He made 46 appearances across all competitions in his debut season after moving from Dinamo Zagreb.

The 6-foot-1 defender, who started 28 Bundesliga games and won the DFB-Pokal despite only entering as a substitute in the championship game against Freiburg. Gvardiol has a deal with Die Roten Bullen that runs through the summer of 2026, but a number of European teams are expected to put Leipzig to the test in the upcoming weeks.

Arsenal and Manchester City are reportedly keeping an eye on the issue, while Tottenham Hotspur has been prominently linked with a bid for the Croatian international.

Currently, it is being reported by the Spanish outlet Sport (via Sport Witness) that Chelsea are prepared to sign Gvardiol if Azpilicueta decide to leave the Blues.

Meanwhile, Azpilicueta, who will be a free agent in the summer of 2023, is reportedly growing more optimistic about his prospects of joining Barcelona during the current transfer window.

Thus, Tuchel has now made Josko Gvardiol one of the top summer targets for this window.

According to the source, Chelsea might get as little as €5 million (£4.3 million) for selling Azpilicueta, but Thomas Tuchel won't let the Spaniard depart before working out a deal to replace him.

The 'selected one' to replace Azpilicueta has allegedly been identified as Gvardiol, but Leipzig are in a strong negotiation position given his contract status.

After Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger departed Chelsea for Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively, Azpilicueta appears to be on the verge of following suit.

Should the 32-year-old go, he will have left the English capital after a trophy-filled 10-year stay with 17 goals and 55 assists in 474 games.

In addition to welcoming Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli, the Blues are also thought to have reached an agreement with Sevilla for long-term target Jules Kounde, reportedly for £55 million.

The past two transfer windows, Chelsea tried and failed to lure Kounde away from Los Palanganas, but the center-back has now all but confirmed his impending move elsewhere.

In response to a fan's wish of luck for his upcoming move in his career, Kounde recently responded "thank you" to the supporter of Sevilla, but Barcelona are also still attempting to sabotage Chelsea's pursuit of the 23-year-old.

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