In what has become one of this summer’s most protracted transfers, Manchester City have finally reached an agreement with RB Leipzig to sign Josko Gvardiol.
The defender has been manager Pep Guardiola’s number-one transfer target this summer, but the blues and the German side were reportedly miles apart in their valuation of the centre-back.
Leipzig were demanding £86m (100m Euros) for the defender, with City reluctant to part with such an amount. The two clubs have since hit a stalemate, particularly after Leipzig claimed they didn’t need the money and therefore didn’t have to sell the defender, following the departure of Dominik Szoboszlai to Liverpool.
But now it seems that the blues have managed to secure a £77m agreement with the German side, with a medical due later this week. In addition, there will be no add-ons for the 21-year-old, which ultimately means he will not become the new British transfer record for a defender, with that record staying at Old Trafford.
Gvardiol’s imminent arrival in Manchester will be City’s second signing of the summer after Mateo Kovacic arrived in June.
