Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid are willing to pay more than €100m to sign 21-year-old star - Reports

European heavyweights Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United are reportedly keen on signing RB Leipzig defender Gosko Gvardiol this summer, according to reports.

The 21-year-old Croatian centre-back has emerged as one of Europe's most highly-rated football stars after his exploits in Germany with Leipzig.

Gvardiol, who joined the Bundesliga side in 2020 from Dinamo Zagreb, has gone on to become an ever-present player in defense for Leipzig.

He has so far made a combined total of 34 appearances for The Red Bulls, raking up well up to 2511 minutes under his belt across all competitions.

Gvardiol's impressive display in defense this season goes beyond his club side Leipzig, as he was a standout player for Croatia at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The 21-year-old youngster marshaled the defensive line of Croatia, who ended up securing third place in the competition which was held in Qatar last year.

Meanwhile, a couple of top clubs are believed to have taken notice of the Gvardiols performances and are willing to enter the race to sign the Croatian international.

RB Leipzig are, however, not willing to lose the 21-year-old defender for cheap and could demand a fee in the region of €100 million for his signature.

Clubs such as Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid are reportedly willing to pay a transfer fee in excess of €100 million to sign Gvardiol this summer.

As for Real Madrid, the Spanish giants have been tipped to bolster their defense ahead of next season, with Gvardiol currently top of their transfer list.

Manchester United, on the other hand, are also other clubs who are willing to break the bank to land Gvardiol as they also aim to strengthen their defense department.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are also believed to be in the race for the Gvardiol once again this summer, after making a bid in the region of £75 million rejceted last year.

Recall that the Croatian was a strong transfer option for former Blues manager Thomas Tuchel last summer, however, Leipzig opted against selling the highly-rated central defender.

It's left to be seen as to which club will eventually succeed in landing the services of Gvardiol, should he become available in this summer's transfer window.

---

Remembering Gosko Gvardiol's reaction to transfer links from Chelsea last summer

The Blues are among the top clubs who are interested in RB Leipzig and Croatian defender Gosko Gvardiol this summer.

Chelsea are said to be keen and will be re-igniting their interest in the player after having a bid turned down by Leipzig last summer.

The 21-year-old, however, reacted to his failed move to west London last year, thus stating that he was happy at Leipzig. In his words:

"I didn't think too much about that negotiation. It’s only my second year, I've to learn - I'm happy in Leipzig."