Manchester City to add defensive depth with Gvardiol signing
Manchester City has reached an agreement with RB Leipzig to sign Croatian defender Joško Gvardiol, according to ESPN. City will pay a straight €90 million ($98 million) to secure his services, meaning there will be no add-on fees.
Gvardiol made 41 appearances for RB Leipzig, helping the club to a third-place Bundesliga finish that secured Champions League football for Leipzig next season. He also took part in Leipzig’s Champions League Round of 16 matchup against Manchester City and was a crucial player in the club’s DFB-Pokal win.
After a good season in Leipzig, he was initially valued at €100 million, and it was believed that RB Leipzig would not let him go for anything cheaper. However, City has managed to shave €10 million off of this asking price. While €90 million is still a steep transfer fee, saving €10 million is still a lot of money.
In terms of player quality, this is a good signing for Manchester City. Gvardiol adds additional defensive depth ahead of next season.
While he is a very solid defender, he is also incredibly comfortable on the ball. Having defenders that can play out of the back is a huge component of Pep Guardiola‘s playing philosophy, and Gvardiol will be more than comfortable playing this way for Pep. Plus, Gvardiol is only 21, meaning he has plenty of time to continue to develop while in Manchester.
This is Manchester City’s second signing of the summer. Fellow Croatian Mateo Kovačić also joined the club from Chelsea earlier this summer.
It will be interesting to see how Gvardiol fares in Manchester next year.
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