Revealed: Man City in advanced talks to agree Josko Gvardiol deal – £140m in total
Man City are confident they will complete a deal for RB Leipzig star Josko Gvardiol well before the summer window shuts, sources have told Football Insider.
Football Insider revealed on 21st July that City remain optimistic about signing the 21-year-old this summer despite conflicting reports on negotiations.
It had been suggested a deal was close, but RB Leipzig sporting director Max Eberl recently went public to refute those claims.
A well-placed source has told Football Insider that Man City remain “optimistic” of agreeing a deal for the Croatia international.
It will be a near club-record deal for the Premier League champions, close to the £100million paid to Aston Villa in the summer of 2021.
As quoted by the Manchester Evening News (21 July), Eberl has declared that an agreement is “not even close”.
Eberl suggested the mega-money fee received for Dominik Szoboszlai’s transfer to Liverpool has secured Leipzig financially, meaning the German side “don’t need the money” for Gvardiol.
However, negotiations remain active between City and Leipzig executives, with the source explaining that they are at the advanced stage for what would be a huge deal.
The cost of the fee and wages for a five-year deal is likely to be well in excess of £140m for City to secure a full agreement.
Leipzig are holding out for top dollar after the summer sales of Szoboszlai and Christoper Nkunku – with Gvardiol’s contract length putting the ball firmly in their court.
His deal runs until June 2027 after signing a bumper extension last year (2022).
According to Sky Sports (19 May), Gvardiol has a release clause of almost £100million as part of that deal – but it doesn’t become active until the summer of 2024.
The centre-back, who starred at the World Cup in Qatar, turned out 41 times across all competitions for DFB-Pokal winners Leipzig in the 2022-23 campaign.
In other news, Man City turn attention to signing another RB Leipzig star.