Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has reportedly spoken with RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol about signing for the Premier League champions, with Tottenham also interested in the youngster.
According to Foot Mercato, the Catalan coach has held talks with Gvardiol about potentially joining City in January, with the report stating that the Manchester giants are ready to spend as much as €110m (£94m) for the Croatian international in the coming weeks.
As per the report, City are pushing hard to beat the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea to Gvardiol’s signature, with Tottenham also being linked to the 20-year-old centre-back, who this winter has flourished at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Gvardiol started all six of Croatia’s fixtures out in Qatar as the 2018 finalists were this week eliminated from the competition at the semi-final stage by Argentina, with the defender set to be the big-name transfer from the tournament.
With Gvardiol also being left-footed, the Croatian defender is one of the more unique players in world football given how rare it is to have a centre-back who isn’t naturally right-footed, which could be why City are so intent on signing the youngster.
Indeed, Guardiola’s involvement in signing Gvardiol is also a big indicator that the defender could be set for Manchester in January, especially with City on the hunt for a long-term centre-back partner for Ruben Dias.
Manchester City signing Gvardiol could be massive
Gvardiol is quickly establishing himself as one of the most hottest properties in football, and for City, winning the race to sign the defender will be nothing short of massive for the Manchester club ahead of the second half of the season.
After all, City already struck gold this summer in signing Erling Haaland, and adding arguably the best young centre-back in the world in Gvardiol to their squad would be another masterstroke from Guardiola and company, much to the dismay of Tottenham.
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