Earlier in the young defender’s career, the Whites attempted to sign him.

Leeds United has not always had the best luck in the transfer market; over the years, they have lost out on targets who have gone on to become great players and brought in big-money busts.

Victor Orta was released of his responsibilities by the Whites in May of this year, following the club’s Premier League relegation as a result of his efforts.

The Yorkshire-based team will be hoping for more success in the future if they are able to return to the top table under Daniel Farke, after his transfer dealings and managerial choices did not succeed in keeping them in the top level.

For Leeds, players such as Brenden Aaronson, Dan James, and Rodrigo were signed for large sums of money at the Premier League level, but they were not reliable performers while they were there.

But the focus should also be on the players Orta tried to sign but was unable to pass muster, like Josko Gvardiol, a gifted player who had the potential to play at Elland Road.

How close Leeds came to signing Josko Gvardiol

According to a 2020 report by the Croatian publication 24Sata, Leeds received a bid of €22 million (£19 million) in September 2020 to recruit the central defender from Dinamo Zagreb.

Despite the fact that he was only 18 at the time, the article stated that then-manager Marcelo Bielsa saw him as a strong enforcer who could get started right away and make an impression in the Premier League.

Dinamo had already accepted an offer of €21 million (£18 million), but the club opted to increase their offer to €22 million and include a 20% sell-on clause to increase their chances of landing him before RB Leipzig.

Gvardiol’s Leipzig career in numbers

After joining his new squad for the 2021–2022 season, the outstanding center defender played 87 competitive games in two years in Germany across all competitions.

During his rookie year with Leipzig, the adaptable star—who can also play left defense—captivated attention with his Bundesliga exploits, showcasing his skills both on and off the ball.

In terms of progressive passes (5.87) and progressive carries (1.76) per 90 at the Bundesliga level that season, Gvardiol finished in the top 9% of his positional peers.

Throughout the 2021–2022 season, the Croatian international also produced 3.4 tackles, tallied interceptions, and prevailed in 58% of his physical confrontations.

The former star of Dinamo struck the ground running in Germany, as evidenced by these statistics, as he was able to influence games in possession with his progressive play out of the back and routinely win the ball back for his team at an effective rate.

Playing 30 games in the Bundesliga the previous season, Gvardiol also made an impression with Croatia at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, showcasing his elite talent.

Over the course of his seven tournament games, the 21-year-old behemoth averaged a 7.16 Sofascore rating, 2.9 tackles, and 90% pass completion percentage.

How much Manchester City signed Gvardiol for

During the last summer transfer window, he moved for a huge quantity of money to Manchester City, the treble-winning team, thanks to his outstanding play for both club and nation during the previous two years.

The Croatian central defender, who cost Pep Guardiola’s team a stunning £77 million, is now the second-most expensive defender in football history, after only Harry Maguire’s £80 million transfer from Leicester City to Manchester United in 2019.

That was a lot more than the £14 million Leipzig spent for his services in 2020, and it was still a lot more than the £19 million Leeds were willing to spend.

The Whites would have made an enormous £46.4 million profit if they had been able to sell Gvardiol for a comparable price, even after deducting 20% of profit as part of the proposed transaction with Dinamo.

Gvardiol’s Ballon d’Or ranking

This week’s Monday’s 2023 Ballon d’Or event saw the legendary Lionel Messi win his eighth Ballon d’Or trophy in recognition of his achievements with Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina.

Despite not taking home the trophy, Gvardiol’s exceptional work was acknowledged as he finished 25th out of the 30 nominated applicants.

The only defender higher on the list was Kim Min-jae (ranked 22nd), and it’s interesting to note that the Croatian player placed ahead of Manchester City star and teammate Ruben Dias (ranked 30th).

This is an especially noteworthy feat considering that the Portugal international was selected for the 2022–2023 Premier League season’s PFA Team of the Year.

It is evident that Dias was a standout performance both at home and in Europe for the treble-winners as he was named to the Champions League Squad of the Season after City defeated Inter and preserved a clean sheet in the victory to win the trophy.

Thus, the fact that Gvardiol placed higher than him in the Ballon d’Or rankings demonstrates how excellent the Croatian international was for both club and nation in the previous campaign.

Leeds, Orta, and Bielsa must be kicking themselves for not being able to persuade the then-teenage colossus to move to Elland Road; they were losing out on a world-class defender who could have brought them enormous financial gain.