Manchester United could rival Chelsea for the signing of highly rated RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, who is also on Tottenham’s radar.
Erik ten Hag is looking to bring in a new centre-back as he begins his Red Devils rebuild and has identified a number of possible transfer targets including his former Ajax protégé Jurrien Timber.
While Timber has been heavily linked with a reunion with Ten Hag, a deal for the 20-year-old may prove tricky after former United boss and Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal warned the player off moving to Old Trafford in the summer.
Should they miss out on Timber, The Telegraph report that Gvardiol is being monitored by several Premier League clubs after a fantastic first season with Leipzig, where the Croatian helped the club win their first DFP-Pokal and reach the Europa League semi-finals.
The 20-year-old has previously been linked with Chelsea and was reportedly on an eight-man shortlist of defensive signings that Thomas Tuchel’s side could make, that also included Sevilla’s Jules Kounde and Villareal’s Pau Torres.
Valued at around £50million, Gvardiol is especially coveted due to being left-footed, something that will appeal to United given that all their current centre-backs are right-footed, and Ten Hag will likely implement a possession heavy, ‘play out from the back’ style of football.
Chelsea are in desperate need of defensive reinforcements with Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen set to leave for nothing and Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso also linked with moves away from Stamford Bridge.
Tottenham meanwhile have handed Antonio Conte a huge war chest to play with this summer and the Italian manager is keen to add another centre-back to his squad alongside the permanent transfer of Cristian Romero, with Alessandro Bastoni a reported target, although the Inter Milan man is also on United’s radar.
Of course, Gvardiol’s future will largely depend on whether Leipzig will want to sell the player, and they will likely be in no rush to do so given the club seem destined to pocket a huge fee if the much the mooted sale of forward Christopher Nkunku happens this summer.
MORE : Louis van Gaal warns Ajax star Jurrien Timber against moving to Manchester United this summer
MORE : Inter Milan set asking price for Man Utd or Tottenham to sign Alessandro Bastoni
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