"I think it is well worth it" – Liverpool urged to sign defender valued at £80-plus million in the summer

Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Alan Hutton has urged Liverpool to snap up RB Leipzig star Josko Gvardiol in the upcoming summer.

Gvardiol, 21, has emerged as one of the top defensive prospects in the world over the past two seasons. He joined the Red Bulls from his boyhood club Dinamo Zagreb for a fee in the region of £16 million in the summer of 2020. Since then, he has helped his club lift the DFB Pokal trophy once.

A left-footed defender renowned for his pace and positioning, the 19-cap Croatia ace turned a lot of heads during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He scored one goal in seven tournament matches, helping his country achieve a third-place finish behind Argentina and France.

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton lavished huge praise on Gvardiol and claimed that Liverpool would be better off with him. He elaborated:

"I think he is an excellent player. We are talking about a lot of money, left-sided and a great range of passing. He is physical and he is of a good size too. Him partnering up with a Virgil van Dijk who is fully fit, I think a lot of fans would be very happy with that."

Urging Jurgen Klopp's side to sign him this summer, Hutton continued:

"It is going to cost a lot of money and whether they are willing to spend that on a centre-half, we will soon find out. We are talking £80-plus million for him. But I think it is well worth it. He is only 21, it is crazy to think that he is playing at that level at such a young age and taking it all in his stride. I think he would be an excellent signing."

Overall, Gvardiol has scored four goals in 75 appearances for Leipzig.

Ben Jacobs identifies four Liverpool-linked top centre-backs, including Josko Gvardiol

In his column for Caught Offside, CBS reporter Ben Jacobs shed light on the Reds' defensive targets for the upcoming summer. He wrote:

"Liverpool will also look to bolster their defence. They are tracking RB Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol, who Chelsea almost pre-agreed a deal for last summer. He is attracting plenty of interest, including from Manchester City as well as Real Madrid and PSG. There is a £98 million buyout clause, but it doesn't become active until 2024."

Naming three other centre-backs apart from Gvardiol, Jacobs added:

"Frankfurt's Evan Ndicka is another name of note and he's available on a free transfer as things stand. Liverpool have long been linked with Fiorentina's Nikola Milenkovic, a Juventus target, and I am also told that they, like Spurs, would consider Wolves' Max Kilman."