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Manchester City have tabled a huge bid for RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, according to a new report.
The Lowdown: Man City target defender
Man City manager Pep Guardiola already has incredible strength in depth in the centre-back department, considering Aymeric Laporte, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji and John Stones are all at his disposal.
It remains to be seen whether they will all stay at the club if a move for Gvardiol transpires, but the Croatian has become the Spaniard’s latest target, perhaps with the long-term future in mind, given that he is just 20 and all of the aforementioned current stars are 25 and above.
The Latest: Offer made
Foot Mercato are now reporting that Guardiola has taken his interest one step further by lodging a ‘crazy’ transfer bid exceeding £85m for the titan, while City are also trying to tempt Leipzig into a sale by including a resale percentage as part of the deal.
The Sky Blues are facing competition from other Premier League clubs for his signature, with Manchester United and Chelsea also formulating offers, although these are not believed to be as lucrative as the proposal put forward by the Sky Blues.
The Verdict: Get it done?
It is hard to argue that City particularly need a new centre-back, given the array of defensive talent already at the Etihad Stadium, however it cannot be denied that the £59k-per-week earner would be a quality addition for any side.
At the World Cup with Croatia, the colossus has been one of the country’s most consistent performers en-route to the semi-final stage, boasting a SofaScore match rating of seven or above in every outing so far, most recently absolutely vital in the victory against Brazil, making seven clearances and blocking two shots in another fine display.
It also must be noted that the 6 foot 1 enforcer would be perfectly suited to Guardiola’s trademark style of play, with the ‘monster‘, as dubbed by Fabrizio Romano, registering an average of 87.58 passes attempted per 90 over the past year, placing him in the 99th percentile compared to his positional peers.
Gvardiol would be a mainstay at the heart of the City defence for years to come, but they may have to part with an existing option if they are to complete a transfer switch.
Source:Transfer Tavern