Fabrizio Romano confirms Manchester City have agreed personal terms ahead of completing world-record deal for 21-year-old
Manchester City have agreed personal terms with RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Cityzens are looking to now approach the German side to finalise a deal to bring the Croatian to the Etihad.
It is understood that manager Pep Guardiola is a big fan of the 21-year-old and rates the player highly. Gvardiol is left-footed and versatile enough to play both as a center-back and a left-back.
However, to secure his services, Manchester City will have to open their wallets wide. Leipzig are hopeful that they can keep Gvardiol and will demand a large fee if he leaves as he is under contract until 2027.
Romano reports that the Bundesliga side will not sell the player for a fee under €100 million and want to make him the most expensive defender ever. Currently, that record is held by Harry Maguire, when Manchester United spent close to £80 million to secure his services from Leicester City.
It is believed that Aymeric Laporte is close to an exit from City and thus they are looking to replace the Spaniard with Gvardiol. Laporte fell down the pecking order last season under Guardiola, with the likes of Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias, John Stones and Manuel Akanji preferred over the 29-year-old. He was limited to 12 appearances in the Premier League as a result.
Gvardiol was close to a move to the Premier League last season, when he agreed personal terms with Chelsea. However, the two clubs could not agree on a valuation for the player then, and the Blues moved on to other targets.
Manchester City could hijack move for Serie A star: Reports
Manchester City are preparing a late move for Napoli defender Kim Min-jae. According to Football Insider, the Cityzens are looking to enter the race for the talented South Korean defender.
However, the report adds that Bayern Munich are in pole position to sign the 26-year-old. Manchester United are also interested in Min-jae.
He signed for Napoli from Turkish side Fenerbahce just last season on a deal worth around £15 million. He has been a vital part of the squad that blitzed to a Serie A title and also led the side to the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
Should Manchester City miss out on RB Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol, The Athletic reports they may look at Villarreal's Pau Torres.