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

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.