Despite Chelsea’s interest, Gvardiol says Liverpool is his favourite Premier League club

Highly sought-after Croatian defender Josko Gvardiol has revealed Liverpool is his favourite Premier League despite strong interest in his services from Chelsea.

The 20-year-old Croatian is wanted by nearly every top side in Europe after a stellar few seasons with RB Leipzig and a sensational 2022mWorld Cup, with Chelsea making most progress in their negotiations over a deal but failing to strike a final agreement so far.

Indeed, the Blues had tried to convince Leipzig to agree to sell Gvardiol in January but his rising price tag saw them turn to Benoit Badiashile, who joined from Monaco in a €38m deal earlier this month.

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Gvardiol has since discussed Chelsea’s continued interest in him, refusing to rule out a switch to Stamford Bridge in the summer, but he also made the surprising revelation that Liverpool are the English side closest to his heart.

“That would definitely be Liverpool,” he said in an interview.

“Since I was little, I watched a lot of Liverpool matches with my dad, and we covered every season in detail. It is a club that has remained in my heart.”

Liverpool are among the sides to have enquired about Gvardiol’s services. The Reds are looking to bolster at the back but may be in need of more-urgent support following the injury to Virgil van Dijk, who is facing over a month on the sidelines with a hamstring problem.