Manchester City are closing in on to complete the signing of the Croatian centre-back Josko Gvardiol, reported renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano on Wednesday (19 July).
The length of the contract has not been revealed as of now but the defender has already completed the first part of his medical with the deal about to be completed.
Gvardiol — who came through the ranks of his country club Dinamo Zagreb — has been at RP Leipzig for two seasons and has a contract till 2027, which puts his club in a strong position in negotiations with the English club as they have been demanding €100m for the centre-back.
Gvardiol, 21, emerged as a top target for City’s head coach Pep Guardiola earlier this season. The English champions faced Leipzig in the Champions League last season during round of 16 where they beat the German club 8-1 on aggregate.
The Croatian will become City’s second summer signing after Mateo Kovacic — who joined the treble winners from Chelsea — and will become the most expensive defender in history with a €100m deal.
While Gvardiol's arrival means the end of Ayremic Laporte, it could also spell some trouble for Nathan Ake’s future who was pivotal in City’s treble last season.
The 21-year-old emerged as one of the best defenders in the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
Man City are also planning a shock move for FC Barcelona’s Raphinha to replace Riyad Mahrez who is set to leave the club after five years.
Mahrez, 32, has agreed to join Saudi club Al-Ahli on a €30m deal and Guardiola thinks there is no better replacement than Raphinha, who is as good defensively as he is offensively.
Raphinha was linked to an early exit in June as the English club Newcastle United made an €80 million bid for the Brazilian but the player was reluctant to leave and showed his consistent desire to stay at the club.
Despite a very inconsistent season, the Brazilian did manage to make his mark at the Catalan club as he scored 10 goals and provided 12 assists in 50 matches.
It must be noted that Raphinha is aware of Premier League’s playing style and culture as he played for Leeds United for two years.