Manchester City Close to Acquiring Josko Gvardiol, Potentially Becoming World’s Costliest Defender, as Arsenal and Tottenham Show Interest in his Replacement
Despite being only 21 years old, Gvardiol has already established himself as one of the top central defenders in the world. The towering Croatian currently plays for RB Leipzig in Germany, but it seems that his next destination will be Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium.
Renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano disclosed on June 24 that Manchester City had reached a consensus on personal terms with Gvardiol, who is known for his adeptness with his left foot. Sky Germany reported that Manchester City made a substantial bid of €90m (approximately £77m) for Gvardiol, the RB Leipzig defender.
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However, Leipzig turned down the offer, hoping to secure a higher sum of €100m (approximately £86m). As per the latest update from the Telegraph, Leipzig’s patience has paid off, and Manchester City is now poised to sign Gvardiol for the requested £86m fee.
This transfer would make Gvardiol the most expensive defender in football history, surpassing the £80m Manchester United paid for Harry Maguire’s acquisition in 2019. The report indicated that Manchester City is very close to completing the deal, and Sky Germany went as far as describing Gvardiol as Guardiola’s “absolute dream player.”
Adding more credibility to the transfer rumors, Max Eberl, Leipzig’s sporting director, confirmed that Gvardiol and his agents expressed their desire to move to Manchester City.
Discussions between Leipzig and City are ongoing, and the deal is expected to go through for the agreed-upon fee of €100m plus additional bonuses. Gvardiol’s potential transfer to Manchester City would make him the most expensive defender in history, although finalizing the deal may still require a few more days.
The addition of Gvardiol to Manchester City’s treble-winning squad is expected to further strengthen the team in the upcoming week. However, the player who Gvardiol is likely to replace may not need to go far to secure his next club. 29-year-old Aymeric Laporte is reportedly available for sale this summer.
The pursuit of Gvardiol is one of the reasons for this, along with Laporte losing his regular starting position to Nathan Ake last season. According to the Daily Mail, Manchester City would not impede Laporte’s departure if the opportunity arises this summer. In this regard, 90min reported that Tottenham has shown interest in signing Laporte, as new manager Ange Postecoglou is expected to bring in two new center-backs.
Additionally, Mundo Deportivo revealed on Sunday that Arsenal has also displayed interest in Laporte. Arsenal has had successful acquisitions from Manchester City in recent times, with notable examples being Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus. While there is no concrete valuation for Laporte mentioned in the media, Transfermarkt estimates his value at around £21.5m.
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