Manchester City has reached an agreement to acquire Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig. On Wednesday, the 21-year-old Croatian defender, who can also play at left-back, reportedly completed the initial part of his medical examination, bringing the deal very close to finalization.
Gvardiol had already agreed on personal terms with Manchester City a month ago. At Leipzig, he is under contract until 2027, which gives the German club a strong position in negotiations. They have been demanding a fee of at least €100m (£86.7m) for the player.
Josko Gvardiol is on the verge of becoming City’s second summer signing after the midfielder Mateo Kovacic, who joined from Chelsea. Riyad Mahrez is close to leaving City for the Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli for £30m.
Gvardiol, who came through the ranks at Dinamo Zagreb and has been at Leipzig for two seasons, joins a long list of central defenders at City. Manuel Akanji, Rúben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, Nathan Aké and John Stones play there, although Pep Guardiola has used centre-halves at full-back and Stones has also been deployed in midfield.
The transfer activity on Wednesday continued the manager’s squad adjustments after winning the treble. The midfielder Ilkay Gündogan left for Barcelona last month on a free and Mahrez’s impending departure removes another player who has been part of the club’s success over several seasons. He has won four Premier League titles, the Champions League and two FA Cups at City.
