Not even close! RB Leipzig chief says 'no agreement' with Man City for Josko Gvardiol amid talk of record-breaking deal
RB Leipzig sporting director Max Eberl says there is «no agreement» with Manchester City for Josko Gvardiol.
WHAT HAPPENED? Although it has been reported that a deal for Gvardiol to move to Manchester City was close to completion, after the two parties settled on an undisclosed transfer fee, it seems that there's still a long way to go. The two clubs have been locked in negotiations for a number of weeks, and Eberl has claimed a deal is not «even close» to fruition.
WHAT THEY SAID: «There is no agreement with Manchester City. Not even close,» Eberl told Sky Sports in Germany. «The fact is that Man City would like to have him. Currently we are still very far apart. The transfer of Szoboszlai has secured us financially. We don't need the money. We would prefer Joško to stay. We are not a club that blocks anything. We are transparent. But we have our ideas and want them to be implemented.»
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Gvardiol has a contract at Leipzig to 2027 which hands the Bundesliga club the upper hand in negotiations as they are in no hurry to part ways with the defender. They have reportedly demanded at least €100m (£86.7m) for the Croatian which would be a world-record fee for a defender.
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WHAT NEXT? Pep Guardiola admires Gvardiol and has urged City to land the player. The two clubs remain locked in negotiations over the transfer which is now expected to rumble on deep into the transfer window.
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