Real Madrid transfer target makes Lionel Messi claim

Real Madrid have been linked with some of the most highly rated young players in the world over the past few weeks as it looks like the club are looking to secure their future, as one of their most successful eras draws nearer to a close, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Casemiro, Sergio Ramos, Gareth Bale, Marcelo and several others having already left while the likes of Luka Modric, Karim Benzema and Toni Kroos are in the twilight of their careers as well.

One of the most exciting players that Real Madrid have been linked with in recent times is Josko Gvardiol.

The Croatian centre-back was arguably the best defender at the World Cup and earned a lot of plaudits for his performances in Qatar. A moment of magic from Lionel Messi saw him being undone in the semi-final though.

The Argentine picked up the ball on the right flank near the halfway line, beat Gvardiol’s pressure twice before setting up Julian Alvarez for a simple finish infront of goal. And the Croatian has hailed Messi after the game, despite Croatia’s defeat. As reported by The Sun, he said:

"“I am glad that I played against him even though we lost.“It’s a great experience, and one day I’ll tell my kids that I played against the best player in history. I guess we will beat him next time.”"

Real Madrid target hails Messi as the best player in history

Argentina are headed to the World Cup final, where they will be taking on defending champions France. On the other hand, the Croatian national team has enough reason to hold their heads high as well and they have a third place medal to play for.

Coming to the matter of Gvardiol, he has certainly proven himself at the grandest of stages now and can expect a big move away in the near future.

He might be just 20 years of age but many are considering him amongst the best centre-backs in the world already and it would take a huge transfer fee to sign him from RB Leipzig.