Joško Gvardiol is primed to complete a summer transfer from RB Leipzig to treble-winning Manchester City, but there is some slight disagreement between the two clubs over a fee, according to Bild. It is still expected this will be swiftly concluded in the coming days, providing Pep Guardiola with one of the top young defenders in the game.
Aged just 21, Gvardiol has his best years ahead of him, and having proved himself already at the highest level for club and country, he should slot into the Man City team with minimal fuss. The Croatian international is a left-sided central defender, and it could be that Nathan Aké is the player who may lose his place in the team as a result.
At present, Harry Maguire is the most expensive defender in world football from when City rivals Manchester United signed him from Leicester City in 2019 for €87million. However, that number is set to be smashed by the Etihad Stadium club, but there are still some parts of the deal still to be agreed.
Leipzig are unhappy about the bonus payment element of the deal that City has put together, and will only accept once more realistic add-ons are included in the contract. Man City have produced an offer of €90million plus add-ons, whilst Leipzig are holding out for €100million, including a better package for bonuses.
Still, the deal is expected to go through and be a world record price for a defender. Guardiola is a big fan of the player for his reading of the game and how comfortable he is in possession, which is also a quality Guardiola looks for in a player. As mentioned, he should slot into the City side with no problems at all.
Something Guardiola isn't so pleased about is that the Gvardiol deal hasn't been completed already. He wanted the player to be part of their pre-season schedule earlier to get him up to speed with the City way of playing. Right now, Gvardiol is part of the Leipzig squad on a pre-season training camp in Italy.
Leipzig are more than open to allow the youngster to leave for Man City; an opportunity too good to resist. At the end of the day, it all comes to price, and with that not being an issue and the player wanting the move as well, this deal could be formally concluded rather quickly.
No doubt Gvardiol was particular impressed with his soon-to-be new club last season during their two UEFA Champions League knockout ties. In the end, Guardiola's men emerged as 8-1 winners on aggregate. After a fairly close first leg in Germany, the clash in Manchester proved more than one-sided, with Erling Haaland netting five of the seven goals on the night.
