Manchester City are exploring the possibility of signing Josko Gvardiol but RB Leipzig want more than €100m (£86m) for the Croatia centre‑back.
It is understood the player is open to the move and that personal terms have been agreed but the transfer fee could be a stumbling block. A fee of at least €100m would make him the most expensive central defender ever.
Leipzig would prefer to keep the 21-year-old and are under no pressure to sell one of their star assets as Gvardiol signed a new contract until 2027, having been linked with a move to Chelsea last summer. The London club instead signed Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli and Wesley Fofana from Leicester.
Gvardiol had an international breakthrough during the World Cup in Qatar at the end of last year, but his club accept that if the offer is too good to turn down they will allow him to leave. He came through the Dinamo Zagreb youth system and joined Leipzig in 2020.
He already has 21 caps for Croatia and the added advantage is that he can also play as a left-back. Pep Guardiola is a huge admirer of the player and the Manchester City manager has made him one of his top targets this summer.
If Gvardiol does end up signing for City, he will join a long list of central defenders already at the club: Manuel Akanji, Rúben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, Nathan Aké and John Stones, with Guardiola increasingly keen to play them in the full-back positions, too.
Leipzig, meanwhile, are also in the process of adding to their squad, with Fábio Carvalho expected to join on loan. Liverpool made clear their opposition to any permanent move, so once the agreement is completed next week, the player will sign for a season-long loan pending a successful medical.
Finally, three Chelsea players will soon join clubs in Saudi Arabia. Koulibaly has completed his medical at Al-Hilal, Édouard Mendy will take his tomorrow td Al-Ahli, and Hakim Ziyech should sign for Al-Nassr in the next few days.
