Chelsea look set to beat their rivals by making an early bid for one of the continent's finest young defenders…

What’s the news?

According to The Mirror, the Blues are set to launch a £45m bid for RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol when the January transfer window opens in just two weeks’ time.

Graham Potter’s side face competition from Real Madrid for the 20-year-old, and the surprise bid is expected to ramp up the pressure on the La Liga champions.

It's thought the Bundesliga club are waiting to sell him during the summer, although his impressive performances for Croatia at the World Cup have raised his stock considerably, and they should be braced for bids during the transfer window.

Dream first signing for Potter

Despite a solid start at Chelsea, Potter hasn’t exactly had it all his own way recently, with the Blues failing to win any of their previous five matches in the Premier League before the World Cup break.

The west London side have conceded 17 goals in just 14 league matches and the defence could certainly be improved.

Gvardiol would be an excellent signing, and considering his displays in Qatar, the 20-year-old has proven that he can shine at the very highest level.

Across seven matches at the tournament, he averaged an excellent Sofascore rating of 7.16/10, which ranked him as the fifth-best player in the squad and the second-best defender behind Dejan Lovren.

The youngster was an absolute colossus throughout the World Cup, showing maturity far beyond his years by helping the team to keep two clean sheets, while he also chipped in with a goal.

Averaging 87.4 touches per match, the defender clearly sought to get involved as much as possible, and this ability to be comfortable on the ball under pressure is something that Potter will be seeking.

His physicality is also a massive strength, with Gvardiol dribbled past only 0.4 times per match. He also made 1.6 interceptions, 1.3 tackles and 5.3 clearances per game, while winning just over half of his total duels.

If Potter can lure the “incredible” defender – as dubbed by Nizaar Kinsella – it wouldn’t just represent a chance to improve Chelsea's team at this moment in time, but also a perfect opportunity to build for the future; and for the aforementioned £45m fee, it could be a very shrewd move indeed.

One journalist even described the Croatian as a “monster and a warrior” following his heroics in Qatar, whilst also claiming that “there is no better replacement for Thiago Silva out there”.

With the 38-year-old Brazilian approaching the end of his fine career, Gvardiol would be an ideal replacement at Stamford Bridge.