Real Madrid and Liverpool will meet each other a couple of weeks later at Anfield in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie. The two European giants have been involved in several high profile games in recent times, including a couple of finals, with Los Blancos coming out on top on both occasions.
This time around, Carlo Ancelotti’s side will have to be considered as heavy favourites as well. Admittedly, there have been plenty of question marks about their recent form. But it is nothing compared to the struggles that Liverpool have faced.
Jurgen Klopp’s team are 10th in the Premier League right now. And they have won just one game in 2023 till now. It is not just on the pitch that Liverpool look to be competing with Real Madrid at the moment though.
As reported by FootballTransfers, Liverpool have an interest in Josko Gvardiol. But the Reds believe that they will struggle to sign him over their rivals.
Liverpool interested in €100m defender Real Madrid want
Of course, Gvardiol is regarded by many as the best young defender in the world right now. He has been a standout for RB Leipzig for some time, and he was also excellent at the recent World Cup, as Croatia managed to finish third.
At the same time though, it will take a huge transfer fee to sign Gvardiol. He is rumoured to have a release clause around €110 million and RB Leipzig are not expected to let him leave for anything lower than €100 million.
It remains to be seen if Real Madrid are ready to shell out that kind of a transfer fee to sign Gvardiol. Of course, he is not the only player that Los Blancos and Liverpool both seem to be interested in. The two teams are believed to be frontrunners in the race to sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund next summer.