Manchester City are closing in on their second signing of the summer as they have agreed a deal with RB Leipzig for highly-rated defender Josko Gvardiol, it has been reported.
The Cityzens have already signed compatriot Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea in a deal worth around £25m, but have lost Ilkay Gundogan on a free transfer with the City skipper having signed for Barcelona when his contract at the Etihad expired.
They are expected to lose several other big names this summer too, with Riyad Mahrez having agreed a £30m deal to move to Saudi side Al Ahli and a move expected to be finalised in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Joao Cancelo is for sale after spending the last six months on loan with Bayern Munich, and there are question marks over the futures of Bernardo Silva and Aymeric Laporte, with the pair having long been linked with moves back to Spain.
City Stadium, Manchester, UK. 27th Aug, 2022. Premier Leage football, Manchester City versus Crystal Palace; Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City Credit: Action Plus Sports/Alamy Live News 2JT2NMB City Stadium, Manchester, UK. 27th Aug, 2022. Premier Leage football, Manchester City versus Crystal Palace; Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City Credit: Action Plus Sports/Alamy Live News (Alamy Stock Photo)
To combat this, and in a bid to follow up on their historic treble success last season, Pep Guardiola’s side, a deal for highly-regarded defender Gvardiol is in the final stages, though it is unclear what the final fee will be amid claims that Leipzig wanted him to become the most expensive defender ever (currently the £80m paid by Manchester United for Harry Maguire).
As per Fabrizio Romano, a deal has been agreed and Gvardiol has even ‘completed the first part of medical tests today’ ahead of completing his move to the Etihad Stadium this summer, where he will link up with Kovacic as he expressed his desire to do so six months ago, though not at Chelsea as had been expected.