Man City open talks to sign Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig

Man City open talks to sign Josko Gvardiol from Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig. The centre-back is one of the brightest prospects in world football.

The 21-year-old made 41 appearances in the 2022/23 season with Leipzig. They also won the DFB-Pokal for the second consecutive time and finished third in the Bundesliga.

Gvardiol ready to replace Laporte in City’s defence

The Croatian centre-back also scored against Man City in the UCL Round of 16 tie in February. It is believed that Gvardiol is the primary target of Pep Guardiola, as he is identified as Aymeric Laporte’s replacement.

Laporte has only featured 11 times for City in the 2022/23 season. He may leave Man City after five years.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Man City are  “progressing well” in negotiations on personal terms.

However, he also said that Leipzig want a huge fee for him. They will look to keep hold of their star defender for one more season if any club fails to meet their asking price.

Man City open talks to sign Josko Gvardiol for a record fee

Manchester City will have to pay £75million or upwards of that to sign the youngster.

Gvardiol still has four years remaining on his contract, which he extended in September. Moreover his deal has a £110 million release clause which will be active in 2024.

The left-footed centre-back has also revealed his desire to play in the Premier League. Last summer, he couldn’t move to Chelsea.

Liverpool, Manchester Unites and Real Madrid all have their eyes on the young centre-back. However, City are in pole position for his signing.

The Treble winners are also likely to sign Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea, who has already agreed personal terms with them.

Gvardiol also played a big part for Croatia in the World Cup 2022, as they finished 3rd in the World Cup.