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MANCHESTER, England: Manchester City are ready to make a big move in the transfer market, days before the start of the new season.
The English and European champions are set to sign Croatia center back Josko Gvardiol for a reported $98.3 million from German club Leipzig, making him one of the world’s most expensive defenders.
Neither City nor Leipzig have commented publicly about the deal for Gvardiol, who will reportedly undergo a medical examination this week.
Manchester United’s Harry Maguire cost then $97 million when he joined from Leicester in 2019, while Virgil van Dijk moved from Southampton to Liverpool for then $100 million in 2018.
The 21-year-old Gvardiol, known as “Little Pep” because of his name’s likeness to City manager Pep Guardiola, is one of the most highly rated defenders in the world and enhanced his reputation with impressive performances for Croatia at the World Cup last year.
He has played for Leipzig for two seasons, having previously been at Dinamo Zagreb. He was immediately a key player in the Bundesliga at the age of just 19, winning the German Cup in each of his seasons with Leipzig.
Gvardiol is a left-footed center back and would likely play on the left of City’s back three, if Guardiola persists with a 3-2-4-1 formation he deployed in the second half of last season.
City also have Nathan Ake for that role in a formation that essentially sees the team play a defense full of center backs and dispense with full backs.
Gvardiol would be City’s second signing of the offseason, after Croatia teammate Mateo Kovacic, who replaced Ilkay Gundogan in the squad. Gundogan, City’s captain last season in their treble-winning campaign, has joined Barcelona.
Leipzig will be losing a third key player this offseason, having sold playmaker Dominik Szoboszlai to Liverpool and forward Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea.