Manchester City are expected to offer Josko Gvardiol a five-year contract, with the option of an additional 12 months.
City’s pursuit of Gvardiol has dragged on for weeks now, but it finally looks like the treble winners are going to sign their number one transfer target.
The 21-year-old RB Leipzig centre-back is regarded by City as one of the best players in the world in his position, despite his young age.
With Guardiola planning to stick with his four-centre-back system this season, he was keen to add another top-quality and versatile defender to his squad.
Aymeric Laporte is expected to leave the club this summer, with Gvardiol replacing his left-footed ability in Guardiola’s stable of centre-backs.
City’s pursuit of Gvardiol looked at risk of hitting the buffers when talks between the two clubs reached a near-standstill.
Tensions emerged two weeks ago when reports claimed that Gvardiol had already completed part of his City medical and that a deal was close, both things Leipzig strenuously denied.
The sticking point in negotiations reportedly centered around the structure of payments and the inclusion of achievable add-ons, but in the end, City managed to get their way.
As reported on Wednesday, City will pay a fixed fee of £77.5m – as opposed to Leipzig’s original £86m asking price – while there are no add-ons included in the deal.
Now, it has been reported by The Telegraph that Gvardiol will sign a five-year contract at City with the option of a further 12 months.
MCN view: Long-term contract makes sense
City always prefer to offer players longer contracts than short, and Gvardiol is no different.
Bar goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, none of the signings City made last summer signed contracts less than four-years long.
Long deals give greater security – like reducing the risk of a player leaving for free – while are beneficial in accounting terms due to transfer amortisation.
