Manchester City are on the verge of signing highly-rated centre-back Josko Gvardiol, although they are not the first Premier League club to find themselves in that position.
City’s drawn-out pursuit of the RB Leipzig defender appears to have survived a few scares with the two clubs finally reaching an agreement.
A few weeks ago it was widely reported that the 21-year-old had agreed to personal terms with the treble winners, but negotiations between the two clubs were stalling over payment structures and add-ons.
On Wednesday the news broke that the sticking point had been resolved, with City agreeing to pay a fixed fee of £77.5m with no add-ons.
The fee is less than Leipzig’s original asking price of £86m, meaning Manchester United’s Harry Maguire will remain the most expensive defender in the world.
Gvardiol is expected to sign a five-year contract with the option of a further 12 months.
Chelsea might feel aggrieved
City boss Pep Guardiola will be delighted to have secured one of his main transfer targets, especially after missing out on Declan Rice earlier this summer.
City regard Gvardiol as one of the best players in his position in the world, hence their eagerness to wrap up the deal.
There might also be a feeling of relief within the club, as Gvardiol could easily have ended up signing for Premier League rivals Chelsea.
According to The Telegraph, Chelsea attempted to sign Gvardiol in 2022.
The London side – experiencing their first full transfer window under the ownership of Todd Boehly – believed they had a deal in place with Leipzig, only for Gvardiol to extend his contract with the Bundesliga club.
Mateo Kovacic – who City signed from Chelsea for £25m earlier this summer – will now finely get to play alongside his international teammate at club level.
“Josko has great potential,” the City midfielder said before the Gvardiol deal was agreed.
“He can come here and learn and be the best version of himself. I’d obviously like it – I’m a good friend with him and he’s Croatian. It would be nice to have a Croatian by my side here. He’s already played a lot of big games. He is ready for the step.”
