Fabrizio Romano has shared an update on Manchester City’s transfer pursuit of Josko Gvardiol.
Earlier this month, it was reported that City are looking to launch a move to sign the RB Leipzig defender this summer following their recent treble-winning season, during which they faced off against the centre-back on their way to lifiting the Champions League trophy.
Now though, some fresh behind-the-scenes details have come to light on the situation.
City on the verge of agreeing personal terms with Gvardiol
In a recent Twitter post, Romano said this about City’s intentions of securing a deal for Gvardiol, after the journalist previously revealed that the Citizens are looking to wrap up a deal for Mateo Kovacic this week.
He said: “Right after Kovacic deal, Man City will push again for top target Josko Gvardiol — as personal terms are on the verge of being agreed with Croatian CB.
“Negotiations needed with RB Leipzig as they want way more than reported €80m [£68m] fee, still hoping to keep Josko.”
After starting his career at Dinamo Zagreb, the centre-back joined Leipzig back in the 2021 summer transfer window after making 52 senior appearances for his previous side.
Since then, the 21-year-old has made 87 appearances for his current outfit, chipping in with three assists and five goals along the way.
One of those goals came against Pep Guardiola’s side last season in the Champions League where City drew 1-1 against Leipzig in the knockout stage, during which the Croatian earned himself an overall match rating of 7.2/10 from SofaScore, making him the second-highest rated player in the German team on the day.
Having clearly made an impression on Guardiola and the recruitment staff at City, it will be interesting to see what financial lengths the Manchester club will go to in an effort to secure a deal for the defender this summer.
