Gvardiol, the young Croatian defender that could unlock Cesar Azpilicueta’s move to Barcelona this summer, as Xavi Hernandez approved his signing.
According to sources acquainted with the situation, the transfer of Cesar Azpilicueta to Barca will be concluded quickly and hastened. Chelsea had delayed the transfer until they had signed a player with a comparable resume who was defensively versatile and could play both the center of defense and the fullback position.
Josko Gvardiol, a Croatian player from RP Leipzig, has been selected by Chelsea as Azpilicueta’s successor. The 20-year-old Zagreb native often plays left back but is also capable of playing center back.
He has already made an appearance in 10 games for Croatia. Azpilicueta has been quite genuine with Chelsea’s new ownership, Todd Boehly, to whom he has conveyed his desire to continue his time with the London-based squad. This will determine when Azpilicueta makes the switch to Barcelona.
However, because Azpilicueta continues to be an important member of the club on the field and as a senior figure in the locker room, Chelsea has been very hesitant to let him depart and has urged him to change his mind. But Azpilicueta has made the decision to leave the English team after receiving multiple calls from Xavi Hernandez lately.
One of the most recent signals he has heard from the ownership is that they would only sit down to discuss his move to Barça when they have a potential successor in place. He is in full discussion with Boehly – and his advisors – at this time. Gvardiol, who began at the youth system of Dinamo Zagreb and has been with RP Leipzig, since July 2021.
