Manchester City has been informed by RB Leipzig that they must pay a record amount for a defender before they can release Josko Gvardiol.
Gvardiol has long been one of City’s top summer targets, and the English club is now advancing with negotiations for the Croatian star.
According to reliable sources, negotiations between Gvardiol’s representatives and City went smoothly, and personal terms have been agreed upon “in principle,” raising hopes that a deal will be reached shortly.
Leipzig is now requesting a figure more than the £80 million Manchester United paid Leicester for Harry Maguire in 2019—the current record deal for a defender—in the ongoing negotiations between the two clubs. Despite their desire to avoid exceeding Leipzig’s asking price of €100 million (£85.5 million), City admits that a record-breaking offer is probably needed to close the deal.
As they bring together the international teammates, City is hopeful that Gvardiol will be their second Croatian acquisition of the summer after agreeing to a deal for Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic.
With the departure of Spain international Aymeric Laporte, who is drawing interest from a number of Premier League clubs, including Aston Villa and Tottenham, the Premier League and freshly crowned European champions hope to make room for Gvardiol in their lineup for the upcoming season.
