Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel is a big fan of Josko Gvardiol and could tempt RB Leipzig into sanctioning a move to Stamford Bridge by tabling a 'really good bid', according to Bild journalist Christian Falk.
The Blues have already spent close to £85million on welcoming reinforcements to west London, but they could be preparing to splash the cash on Gvardiol next.
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What's the latest news involving Gvardiol?
It is understood that Chelsea will turn their attentions towards Gvardiol if they fail in their efforts to land Sevilla's Jules Kounde or Paris Saint-Germain star Presnel Kimpembe.
With Kounde seemingly on his way to Barcelona and Kimpembe eager to remain at the Parc des Princes, the Blues could make their move sooner rather than later.
According to Spanish media outlet Mundo Deportivo, via Sport Witness, the Leipzig man has been identified as Tuchel's number one target amid interest in captain Cesar Azpilicueta from Barcelona.
Chelsea are not the only Premier League side who have been tracking Gvardiol as, ahead of the transfer window opening for business last month, Tottenham Hotspur added him to a four-man shortlist of centre-back targets.
But Spurs have signed Clement Lenglet on a season-long loan from Barcelona instead, potentially leaving the door open for the Blues to pounce.
What has Christian Falk said about Gvardiol?
Falk understands that Tuchel is an admirer of Gvardiol and, as a result, would be keen to welcome him to Chelsea.
However, Bild's head of football believes the west Londoners will have to splash the cash in order to persuade Leipzig into selling one of their prised assets.
Falk told GIVEMESPORT: "With Chelsea, I know Tuchel likes him. He's a very good player and many clubs have an eye on him.
"They have to make a really, really good bid. Kounde was also very difficult, they didn't pay the money and now you know what happened.
"If Chelsea bid a really high amount of money, perhaps Leipzig would talk. But, at the moment, it's not the first option to sell him."
What would Gvardiol add to Chelsea's squad?
Although Tuchel has already bolstered his backline with the £33million addition of Kalidou Koulibaly, he is still on the lookout for more options at the heart of his defence.
That is because he needs to add more strength in depth after the summer departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
With the likes of Koulibaly, Thiago Silva, Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso being the wrong side of 30, Tuchel has an aging defence.
Gvardiol is only 20, so he would add youth to the German's options, but he still offers plenty of experience having made close to 100 senior appearances at club level and been involved in the Champions League.
As a result, it is clear that the 10-cap Croatia international, who has been described as a 'tank', would be a shrewd investment from Chelsea's point of view.