At just 20, Josko Gvardiol is one of the most exciting centre-backs in the world and certainly one to watch for the future. The Croatian also knows how to shine in this World Cup. It is not for nothing that his national coach Zlatko Dalic called him the “best defender in the world”. Now top clubs such as Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid and PSG have all expressed their interest in the youngster.
In September, Gvardiol, whose market value is 60 million euros according to transfermarkt.de, extended his contract with RB Leipzig until 2027. But in 2024 he could already sign with a new club. According to “Bild” there is a release clause in his contract, which provides that the central defender can then leave for a fixed fee of 112 million euros.
In that case, the Croatian would be the first defender to cross the 100 million mark, which has only been crossed 12 times so far. The most expensive defender to date is Harry Maguire, for whom Manchester United transferred a whopping €87m to Leicester City in 2019.
According to the report, RB has already announced that it wants to keep the Croatian national team until next summer.
Are things getting serious between Gvardiol and Man City?
But whether RB can actually hold Gvardiol is debatable. Top English clubs are said to have already inquired and Manchester City in particular appear to be serious. As “Foot Mercato” reports, they want to offer more than the fixed transfer fee to outpace the competition. The speech should be a good 130 million euros!
City manager Pep Guardiola is also said to have spoken to Gvardiol about the move and the Etihad Stadium project in a bid to convince the former Dinamo Zagreb defender. To sweeten the deal, the “Skyblues” would like to buy him this winter and then loan him to RB Leipzig.
No thoughts of changing for the moment
A move to the Premier League would see Gvardiol fulfill one of his childhood dreams. But he is not yet grappling with a change: “To be honest, I have no idea. My agent will take care of it and we’ll see. At the moment I am happy in Leipzig. I don’t know, we’ll see, you never know,” Gvardiol said when asked recently about the speculation.
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On the future of his protégé, his adviser Marjan Sisic also commented on the Sky channel: “As regards a possible transfer in the summer of 2023, we are in no hurry and I can clarify that there are no preliminary agreements with any club.” (yj)
