Manchester City's £77.6m bid for RB Leipzig's defender accepted

Deal agreed for Josko Gvardiol - Photo Credit || Twitter

FOOTBALL Manchester City's £77.6m bid for RB Leipzig's defender accepted

Mark Kinyanjui 19:01 - 02.08.2023

The 21-year-old is now set to undergo a medical later this week ahead of his proposed move to the Premier League club.

Champions League winners Manchester City have agreed a €90million (Ksh. 13 billion) deal with RB Leipzig for the signing of defender Josko Gvardiol.

The 21-year-old is now set to undergo a medical later this week ahead of his proposed move to the Premier League club.

Should a deal go through, Gvardiol will join fellow Croatian international Mateo Kovacic as a new arrival at the Etihad Stadium this summer.

Gvardiol made 41 appearances in all competitions last term as Leipzig finished third to secure Champions League qualification for this season.

He scored against City in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie and was also a key player in the club’s DFB-Pokal win.

Gvardiol was also one of his country’s standout performers at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, scoring in the third-place play-off against Morocco as Croatia claimed the bronze medal.

City’s defense could look a lot different next season with right-back Kyle Walker in talks over a move to Bayern Munich.

Fellow full-back Joao Cancelo, who spent the second half of last season with the Bundesliga champions, is also expected to leave with central defender Aymeric Laporte another who could exit.

City face Arsenal in the FA Community Shield on Sunday before kicking off their Premier League title defence away at Burnley on Friday, August 11.

What would Gvadiol bring to Man City?

He’s the perfect modern centre-back — if a big club’s recruitment department were able to grow a defender in a lab, this is what they would come up with.

There are obviously still a few flaws in his game. He does have a tendency to go in hard and quickly, which when it comes off looks decisive and proactive, but when it doesn’t can appear reckless.

There are not many left-footed centre-backs who are big, athletic, and good both defensively and in possession with Champions League and international experience, yet he is — and he is only 21 years old.

It all makes sense for City, especially considering that Guardiola has come to love playing “proper” centre-backs as full-backs, and Gvardiol is ready-made for that.

What Gvardiol could become is a blend of being both a traditional defender and an elite passer; somebody who could slot into that bruising City defence and unpick tight opposition defences himself with balls in behind for Erling Haaland.