RB Leipzig have reportedly knocked back a massive offer worth €80 million from Manchester City for defender Josko Gvardiol.
According to BILD, Manchester City have seen their €80 million bid for Josko Gvardiol get rejected by Bundesliga giants RB Leipzig in the ongoing transfer window.
Gvardiol joined RB Leipzig only last summer, arriving from Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb. The 20-year-old has instantly become a vital part of the setup at the Red Bull Arena, as he played 44 times in all competitions last season, scoring two and assisting three goals, helping his side win the DFB-Pokal.
Able to play at centre-back and left-back, Gvardiol has attracted a lot of admirers in Europe, with Barcelona showing an interest in the Croatian international, while Chelsea are also pushing to sign him this summer. And it seems now that the 20-year-old can add Manchester City to the list of clubs pursuing his signing in the ongoing transfer window.
Manchester City’s interest in Gvardiol does come as a bit of a surprise after they decided to keep hold of Nathan Ake, who was a transfer target for Chelsea. With the Dutchman staying put, Pep Guardiola has four frontline defensive options in Ake, Aymeric Laporte, Ruben Dias and John Stones.
However, it seems like the Premier League champions remain intent on adding another top-quality centre-half to their roster as was indicated by their attempt to hijack Barcelona’s deal to sign Jules Kounde from Sevilla. And now they are going after Gvardiol, with Manchester City reportedly tabling a mammoth offer worth €80 million to sign the 20-year-old.
Given his ability to play at left-back, Guardiola could be looking at him as an option for the position as Manchester City look destined to miss out on Marc Cucurella, who is headed for Chelsea. Either Gvardiol or Ake could be used fully as a left-back, whereas the other would function as cover and competition for Laporte for the left-sided centre-half role.
However, Manchester City’s massive €80 million has been swiftly rejected by RB Leipzig, who are adamant that the 20-year-old defender is not for sale this summer. The Bundesliga club wish to keep hold of Gvardiol for the time being, having signed him just a year ago and knocking back a bid worth such a big amount indicates that their stance is unlikely to change this summer.
