Pundit Shaka Hislop has questioned the €100m price tag on reported Manchester City transfer target Josko Gvardiol.
After RB Leipzig had set this asking price for the centre-back, it was reported earlier this week that an agreement has been reached between the two clubs over a fee.
This has since led to one pundit sharing his thoughts on the fee that Leipzig set for the player and the presumption that City will have agreed to pay it for his signature.
Hislop baffled by Gvardiol price tag
Speaking in a recent video on the ESPN FC YouTube channel, Hislop said this on the matter.
He said: “€100m, you’re thinking you spend that money on goalscorer, you spend that money on the top end of the park.
“Exactly what makes Gvardiol special as a defender to be worth €100m as a defender? 21 years old, okay that is young as a centre-back, as anyone coming to this league, but still, is that reason enough to spend that kind of money?
“Are you going to get it back at any point in the future? It continues to bemuse.”
With his contract at Leipzig not set to expire until 2027, this could be a reason why the German club set such a high asking fee for him.
Also, the fact that the 21-year-old was such a prominent figure in the team last season by featuring in all but eight of their matches in all competitions also shows why they want a significant amount of money to sell him.
In addition to that, the hype that the centre-back gathered as a result of his impressive performances for Croatia during the previous World Cup could also be why Gvardiol could become one of the most expensive signings of the summer transfer window.
With all of that in mind, if City are willing to pay around €100m (£86m) to sign the youngster, it’s safe to say that they have seen enough in him to make them feel that he’s worth that fee.
Moving forward, if this deal does get completed, this could be a very exciting and smart piece of significant business from the treble winners, especially if the player goes on to have a long and successful time at the Etihad Stadium.
