Journalist Dean Jones has reported Leeds United are readying themselves for a move for RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol in the summer transfer window – and is the kind of player they believe they can get.
The Whites have enjoyed an upturn in form since the introduction of American coach Jesse Marsch, winning three of their last five, including an impressive three-goal away comeback at high-flying Wolves.
This has led to reports that Leeds brass are looking to make some moves in the summer transfer window to back Marsch, including Scottish right-back Calvin Ramsay and CF Montreal midfielder Djordje Mihailovic.
However, the most impressive and well-known name of the reported targets is perhaps Leipzig defender Gvardiol, who according to Football Insider, came close to signing back in 2020 with the team tracking the Croatian for two years now.
While they may face some competition for the defender from teams such as Tottenham Hotspur, the Yorkshire team believe they have the ability to attract Gvardiol and could secure the player for a great price of £27m. This sentiment was echoed by reporter Jones, who broke the news to GiveMeSport, stating initially it seemed ‘ambitious’, but it could quickly become reality.
He said: “I thought at first it was a bit too ambitious, but the more I speak to people, the more I start to realise that Leeds are starting to believe that this is where they should be shopping.
“These are the sorts of players that they believe they can get. So, I’m certainly not going to rule it out.”
Will Leeds sign Gvardiol?Yes
No
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TIF Thoughts on the Gvardiol rumours…
Leeds desperately need to sign defenders in the transfer window if they want to get back to the lofty heights of their 2020/21 campaign where they finished the season ninth in the Premier League. They currently have one of the worst defensive records in the entire league, conceding 68 goals – only Norwich City have seen the ball hit the back of their net more often.
So far this season for Leipzig, Gvardiol has picked up two goals and two assists while averaging 1.5 tackles, 1.6 interceptions, two clearances and 0.4 blocks per game, as well as 0.5 key passes and 3.1 long balls with an 83.8% passing accuracy from 66.2 attempts per game (WhoScored).
If Leeds can pull off this signing, especially for a price around £27m, Gvairdol could bring some much-needed youth and energy to their backline without breaking the bank, with current starters Liam Cooper, Stuart Dallas and Luke Ayling all hitting the age of 30 or over.