According to a report by Alfredo Pedullà, Manchester City have been keen on acquiring the services of Josko Gvardiol for a while now and are on the verge of completing the transfer. The 21-year-old defender has been in sensational form over the last 12 months, and there was a lot of competition for his services, including from Real Madrid. But, City have managed to come out on top.
Gvardiol was on fire during the FIFA World Cup 2022 towards the end of last season. And, he was one of the main reasons for Croatia’s run to the semi-finals. His exceptional performances brought him into the limelight and post that a lot of clubs have been closely monitoring him.
Real Madrid were one of the clubs keen on having him in their ranks. Luka Modric, the Real Madrid midfielder, suggested to the club that they should push for the signatures of his national teammate Gvardiol. And, Los Blancos started monitoring him.
However, the nine-figure price tag and interest from Manchester City created a lot of trouble for the Spanish giants. On top of that, the player’s desire to play under Pep Guardiola made it pretty clear that he wanted to move to the Premier League.
Manchester City have been interested in his services ever since his heroics at the FIFA World Cup 2022, and they have been making plans to complete his signing. The Premier League champions have been in talks with Leipzig over the past few weeks.
While Guardiola’s team wanted to lower the asking price, the German club had the upper hand in the negotiations as Gvardiol’s current contract runs until the summer of 2027. Finally, Manchester City have decided to meet the asking price of €100 million.
The final fee of the transfer will go well beyond the €100 million. According to the report, with add-ons included the deal could go close to €120 million. While the transfer is almost certain, a few details are yet to be sorted. Meanwhile, the player is all set to complete his medical within the next 24 hours and an official announcement will follow shortly.
