It seems that Manchester City is nearing a deal with RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol. Pep Guardiola and his City team achieved a remarkable treble in the 2022/23 season. Yet, City shows no delay in bolstering their squad.
There seems to be a nearing deal for Chelsea’s midfielder Mateo Kovacic. Since, a verbal agreement has been made with the Croatian player. However, City is not solely focusing on Kovacic, as Gvardiol is another Croatian talent they are eyeing.
In the past 48 hours, The Secret Scout shared a Twitter post regarding City and Gvardiol. According to their claim, all the necessary elements for a contract at Etihad Stadium are ready for the defender. Gvardiol is a crucial target for City, especially after securing the signing of Kovacic. However, City still needs to negotiate a fee with Leipzig for Gvardiol.
How can Josko Gvardiol be a valuable addition in the Manchester City squad?
Gvardiol excels as a left-footed center-back and is versatile enough to operate as a left-back. Currently, he showcases his talent at its peak, as evidenced by his impressive Transfermarkt valuation of €75m (£66m), which marks a career high. Earlier this year, the defender managed to score against City in the Champions League. In fact, he even had a conversation with Guardiola following the second leg, as he admitted.
Gvardiol is emerging as a true rising star, and according to pundit Owen Hargreaves, he has the potential to become “the best centre-back in the world one day.” Hargreaves expressed this belief following Gvardiol’s performance against City.
According to WhoScored, Gvardiol outperformed Manchester City defenders Manuel Akanji and Kyle Walker in the previous season. Additionally, he recorded a higher average of interceptions per game compared to any player from City.
FBref data reveals that Gvardiol ranks remarkably high among centre-backs, specifically in categories such as passes attempted, progressive passing distance, and completed medium passes, placing him in the 99th percentile. Given Guardiola’s team’s emphasis on building attacks from the defensive line, Gvardiol’s skills in these areas could make him a clever addition to the side.
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