Josko Gvardiol can solve a Man City issue Pep Guardiola hasn't fixed in another area of his squad
Manchester City may well have not met the asking price for Josko Gvardiol but the inference that RB Leipzig might be able to keep the defender seems a knowingly flakey hope.
Sporting director Max Eberl came out on Friday to proclaim that his club have no need to sell the Croat after pocketing £60m from Liverpool for Dominik Szoboszlai. "The fact is that Man City would like to have him [Gvardiol],” the Leipzig chief said.
“Currently, we are still very far apart. The transfer of Szoboszlai has secured us financially. We don't need the money. We would prefer Josko to stay."
That may be so, but if a lucrative bid comes in then the tune may change. City have always been astute with their finances and have only spent more than £55m once, the £100m arrival of Jack Grealish in 2021.
RB Leipzig double down on Man City top transfer target Josko Gvardiol
City may have to shell out above that threshold again if they are to land World Cup star Gvardiol. The exit of Riyad Mahrez coupled with the potential departures of Bernardo Silva and Kyle Walker could see the Blues bring in some cash this summer.
It would also mean a more expensive chase for Gvardiol would less likely break Financial Fair Play regulations. In terms of numbers, though, City don’t need a centre-back.
Even if Aymeric Laporte does leave, Pep Guardiola still has Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Manu Akanji and John Stones to choose from. Taylor Harwood-Bellis, likely to be either loaned or sold this summer, isn’t a bad fifth-choice option.
However, the City boss has always made efforts to regenerate and evolve his squad, even when on top. Aside from 21-year-old Harwood-Bellis - hardly a senior regular - all of the squad’s centre-backs are 26 or older.
Last season’s
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