Manchester City are now exploring a deal for £85m Liverpool target.
Manchester City are in the strongest position to sign Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig this summer, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano exclusively told GIVEMESPORT.
The highly-rated defender has been on the watchlist for a number of European clubs, but Romano expects City to sign him, should they match Leipzig’s hefty demands.
Manchester City transfer news – Josko Gvardiol
Less than seven days after completing a historic treble, Pep Guardiola and the City hierarchy appear to have already switched attention towards their summer transfer plans.
In the aftermath of City’s 1-0 victory over Inter Milan in Istanbul, Guardiola told BT Sport: “Next season we will start from zero”, in response to a question from Cesc Fabregas about how the Catalan intends to improve his side in the future.
One addition which could elevate the Blues’ current roster is that of starlet Gvardiol, who according to talkSPORT is garnering interest from City, among other Premier League outfits.
The report claims that the Croatian is considered a must-have by Guardiola, as the City boss plans a summer overhaul following their success this season.
Gvardiol had been on the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool’s radars, but concerns surrounding the eventual cost of the deal are likely to scare others away, leaving City with a clear run at the centre-back.
What has Fabrizio Romano said about Gvardiol to City?
Speaking exclusively to GIVEMESPORT, transfer expert Romano hinted that City are best placed to sign Gvardiol, with Leipzig set to demand a mammoth fee.
On the 21-year-old, Romano said: “Leipzig are not even accepting €80 million as a price tag for Gvardiol, so I think it will be around €100 million instead and I see Man City being in a better position to sign him, but only if they are willing to spend that money, otherwise the player could stay in Leipzig for one more season.”
Why does Guardiola want Gvardiol at City?
Having struggled in the middle part of the campaign, Guardiola switched City’s system from their traditional 4-3-3 with overlapping fullbacks, to the less orthodox 3-2-4-1.
Heralded as part of the reason behind City’s success this season, the change saw John Stones adopt a hybrid holding midfield role, Jack Grealish flourish with the new-found space on their left-hand side and Nathan Ake shine as the left-sided centre-back in a back three.
However, despite Ake’s solid campaign, there is a feeling that Gvardiol would represent an improvement in that position, with the left footer seemingly tailor-made for Guardiola.
With evolution having been key to Guardiola’s achievements while in Manchester, expect another summer of movement in the City squad now the transfer window has opened.