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Josko Gvardiol 'emerges as favourite to replace Cesar Azpilicueta at Chelsea'

:Headline: Josko Gvardiol 'emerges as favourite to replace Cesar Azpilicueta at Chelsea':
Chelsea reportedly earmark RB Leipzig centre-back Josko Gvardiol as their top target to replace Cesar Azpilicueta, who is being tipped to sign for Barcelona.
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RB Leipzig centre-back Josko Gvardiol has allegedly emerged as one of Chelsea's top targets to replace Barcelona-linked Cesar Azpilicueta.

The 20-year-old has established a reputation as one of Europe's brightest defensive starlets after making a name for himself in the heart of Domenico Tedesco's defence.

Gvardiol - who has garnered experience playing in a back three for Leipzig - joined the Bundesliga side from Dinamo Zagreb last term and made 46 appearances in all tournaments during his debut campaign.

The 6ft 1in defender scored two goals and provided three assists in the process, starting 28 Bundesliga matches and winning the DFB-Pokal, although he only came on as a substitute in the final against Freiburg.

Gvardiol is contracted to Die Roten Bullen until the summer of 2026, but numerous European clubs have been tipped to test Leipzig's resolve in the coming weeks.

Tottenham Hotspur have been strongly linked with a move for the Croatia international, while Arsenal and Manchester City are also said to be keeping an eye on the situation.

Now, Spanish outlet Sport - via Sport Witness - claims that Chelsea are ready to make a move for Gvardiol if Azpilicueta ends his Stamford Bridge stint this summer.

Azpilicueta is due to become a free agent in the summer of 2023 and is now said to be increasingly confident about his chances of signing for Barcelona in the current window.

The report claims that Chelsea could receive as little as €5m (£4.3m) for the sale of Azpilicueta, but Thomas Tuchel will not allow the Spaniard to leave before striking a deal for a replacement.

Gvardiol has supposedly been identified as 'the chosen one' to fill Azpilicueta's shoes, but Leipzig are in a strong negotiating position given his contract situation.

Azpilicueta is seemingly set to become the third Chelsea defender to head for the exit door after Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger left for Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively.

Should the 32-year-old depart, he will do so having scored 17 goals and set up 55 more in 474 appearances during a trophy-laden 10-year spell in the English capital.

The Blues have already welcomed Kalidou Koulibaly to the club from Napoli and are also believed to have agreed a £55m deal with Sevilla for long-term target Jules Kounde.

Chelsea have tried and failed to prise Kounde away from Los Palanganas for the past two transfer windows, but the centre-back has now all but confirmed his imminent move elsewhere.

Kounde recently said "thank you" to a Sevilla fan when receiving a wish of good luck for his next career move, but Barcelona are also still hoping to hijack Chelsea's move for the 23-year-old. body check tags ::

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Read more about Josko Gvardiol Cesar Azpilicueta Thomas Tuchel Domenico Tedesco Antonio Rudiger Andreas Christensen Jules Kounde Kalidou Koulibaly Football
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Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool16123137162139
2Chelsea17105237191835
3Arsenal1796234161833
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest179442319431
5Bournemouth178452721628
6Aston Villa178452626028
7Manchester CityMan City178362925427
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle177552721626
9Fulham176742422225
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton176742726125
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1772839251423
12Brentford177283232023
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd176472122-122
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham175572230-820
15Everton163761421-716
16Crystal Palace173771826-816
17Leicester CityLeicester173592137-1614
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1733112740-1312
19Ipswich TownIpswich172691632-1612
20Southampton1713131136-256
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