Manchester City and RB Leipzig have reached a world-record agreement for Josko Gvardiol to swap the Bundesliga for the Premier League.
As per German publication Bild, the Cityzens have agreed to make the Croatia international the most expensive defender in football history by pouring a whopping €90 million into the Germans’ bank account.
Gvardiol’s imminent switch to the Etihad Stadium will shatter the world-record fee of £80m Manchester United paid Leicester City to sign Harry Maguire in 2019.
City are desperate to complete the 21-year-old’s arrival ahead of Sunday’s Community Shield showpiece against Mikel Arteta’s star-studded Arsenal.
As one of the world’s most highly-rated young defenders, Leipzig’s rising star has been on Man City’s radar for months, but the Germans’ staggering valuation has proved a major sticking point.
The involvement of Red Bull supremo Oliver Mintzlaff has boosted City’s position in long-standing negotiations with Leipzig, giving them a decisive nudge.
Gvardiol’s international colleague Mateo Kovacic joined Guardiola’s squad last month, making the ex-Dinamo Zagreb centre-back the second Croatian player to move to the Etihad this summer.
Dinamo will benefit from the youngster’s transfer, having included a 20% future sale clause in the deal that took him to Leipzig in 2020.
His arrival could spell the end of Kyle Walker’s career at Man City amid intense speculation linking the 33-year-old with a high-profile switch to Bayern Munich.
Walker captained his side in a 2-1 friendly win over Thomas Tuchel’s troops and an identical loss against Atletico Madrid last week.
However, that could prove his last appearance for last season’s treble winners, with the Bavarians still hellbent on luring him to the Allianz Arena.
Both sides are still in Japan for their respective pre-season tours, but they’ve yet to find common ground as Man City intend to keep hold of the former Tottenham Hotspur star.
