German media are reporting that RB Leipzig have turned down a monumental offer from Man City for Croatian defender Joško Gvardiol.
Man City are looking to capitalise on their Premier League triumph last season by further bolstering their ranks in this summer’s transfer window.
So far, Pep Guardiola has made some big acquisitions as the Cityzens look to win the one trophy that has eluded them to date: the Champions League.
Their most significant signing of the summer so far has been Erling Haaland. City picked up the striker for a relatively low fee of around £50 million in this window, but the former Borussia Dortmund man is on sky-high wages.
It is believed that Haaland is the final piece of the puzzle for City, who have gone close in the Champions League in the past two seasons.
In addition to the Norwegian superstar, Guardiola has also looked to further add to his squad, and the arrival of Leeds’ talisman Kalvin Phillips for approximately £45 million only enhances the depth and quality of the Premier League champions.
However, one area where they haven’t been able to strengthen so far is defence. The exit of Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal has left Guardiola a little light in defensive areas, but the Spaniard has now launched an effort to address this issue.
City launch Gvardiol bid
German newspaper BILD are reporting that RB Leipzig have turned down an enormous offer of €80 million for Croatian defender Joško Gvardiol.
The stalwart only arrived at the German club last summer, but he has already made his mark at the Red Bull Arena.
Gvardiol made 44 appearances for Leipzig last term, scoring two goals and assisting three times as his side won the DFB-Pokal.
Perhaps the most enticing aspect of his play to Guardiola is his versatility. The Croatian is adept at playing both centre-back and left-back, which are two areas that which City need to address amid the uncertainty surrounding the future of Nathan Ake.
And at 20 years of age, his best years are ahead of him. Guardiola will want to bring him in and nurture him to become one of the best in the Premier League.
City and expensive defenders
The Cityzens are not shy of spending big of bolstering their defensive line. Over the years, the likes of Ruben Dias, Ake, Aymeric Laporte, Kyle Walker and John Stones have all been brought in for high fees.
Dias, who has now become one of the most formidable defenders in the league, cost City £65 million back in 2020. Likewise, when Laporte joined in 2018, it cost the club £58.5 million.
However, despite the big fees, few of the players Guardiola has brought into his defence have flopped. If Leipzig change their stance and Gvardiol arrives in Manchester this summer, the Spaniard will have faith he can bring the best out of him.
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