Not even close! RB Leipzig chief says ‘no agreement’ with Man City for Josko Gvardiol amid talk of record-breaking deal
Deal had been thought to be closeLeipzig rubbish recent reports
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.
RB Leipzig sports director Max Eberl says “there is no agreement” between the German club and Manchester City over Croatia defender Josko Gvardiol.
The 21-year-old is valued in the region of £86m and if that fee was paid by City it would make him the most expensive defender in football history.
When asked if a deal had been reached, Eberl said: “A lot has been written and the latest information about Josko surprised us all.
“Currently we’re still very far apart.”
He added: “As you can see, Josko is here – so it’s not true.
“He didn’t do a medical check – not that we know. And I don’t think he did it behind our backs because he’s just a full professional.
“There is no agreement, not even remotely an agreement.”
The centre-back has made 87 appearances for the German club since signing from Dynamo Zagreb in July 2021.
Last season he scored against City in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, which RB Leipzig lost 8-1 on aggregate.
He has won 21 caps for Croatia since making his debut in 2021 and helped his country finish third at the 2022 World Cup as well as runners-up to Spain in this year’s Nations League.
Earlier in July Eberl confirmed talks were taking place with the Premier League champions but it was understood City were yet to make a formal bid.
Recent reports had suggested an agreement had been reached that would eclipse the £80m Manchester United paid for Harry Maguire in 2019.
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