Real Madrid and Chelsea in race to sign World Cup sensation

Real Madrid have a history of signing the best performers from the World Cup. That has happened in the past with players like Ronaldo Nazario, Toni Kroos, Thibaut Courtois and several others. And while the club are not expected to make signings in January, they surely must be keeping a close eye on the tournament in Qatar nonetheless.

One of the standout performers in the 2022 World Cup has been Josko Gvardiol, as he helped Croatia reach the semi-finals of the tournament. They still have a third place medal to play for against Morocco as well.

Gvardiol has been very highly rated for a while now and been a top performer for RB Leipzig but following his displays at the World Cup, interest in him must have skyrocketed. And it looks like the two clubs leading the race to sign the Croatian defender are Chelsea and Real Madrid.

As reported by SoccerNews.nl, Italian transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio said about the situation surrounding Gvardiol:

"“I know Chelsea and Real Madrid are the most interested in him at the moment. They have already made bids, but his transfer value has skyrocketed due to his performance at the World Cup. Chelsea will probably try in January, but Real Madrid has a preference for a summer deal.”"

Real Madrid and Chelsea are in race to sign World Cup sensation

Gvardiol might be still just 20 years of age, but he was arguably the best centre-back at the World Cup and he is already being considered amongst one of the best on the planet in his position.

Real Madrid should know all about his quality, having come up against RB Leipzig in the Champions League this season. In the away tie in Germany, Gvardiol even managed to get his name on the scoresheet as the Bundesliga giants ended the unbeaten start to the season of Carlo Ancelotti’s side.

Of course, it will take a major transfer fee to sign Gvardiol from RB Leipzig, which could even reach as far as €100 million and break the record for a centre-back. Thus, it remains to be seen if Real Madrid are able to sign him or not. Chelsea have been chasing his signature for a while.