Man City submit €110m bid for Chelsea target Gvardiol

Cameron Smith

• 13 Dec 2022 08:46 CST
• 3 min read

Manchester City have reportedly submitted a bid for RB Leipzig and Croatia defender Josko Gvardiol that could reach €110 million if add-on clauses are met.

Pep Guardiola's side are said to have been impressed with Gvardiol since he joined the Bundesliga side in 2021, and his form at the 2022 Qatar World Cup have further amplified their interest.

The 20-year-old centre-back is wanted by several clubs across Europe, including Chelsea who heavily pursued him during the summer transfer window. However, the Blues ended up deciding against signing Gvardiol, opting to add Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella to their defensive roster.

READ: Fofana signing should ruin Chelsea's Gvardiol plans

But, they remain keen on signing him, with the Croatian international said to be one of the names on Graham Potter's wishlist.

However, Chelsea's hopes of signing Gvardiol have been dashed by reports that Man City have launched a formal bid to RB Leipzig in an effort to pry him away from the Bundesliga.

READ: The truth about Chelsea target Gvardiol's release clause

Man City's pursuit of Gvardiol

According to Foot Mercato, Man City have submitted a bid worth up to €110m for Gvardiol, with a 20% sell-on clause included.

Furthermore, Guardiola's side want to sign the former Dinamo Zagreb star in January, but will allow him to stay at Leipzig until the end of the 2022/23 season.

Leipzig currently sit in third place in the Bundesliga, six points behind league leaders Bayern Munich.

Guardiola has reportedly given the go-ahead on the deal, but Chelsea haven't given up hope yet. The Blues, along with Manchester United, are said to have also launched a bid for Gvardiol, with the Croatian set to be involved in a transfer tug of war in both the January and summer transfer windows in 2023.

At Man City, Gvardiol would provide competition for John Stones, Aymeric Laporte, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake. All five players have a contract at the club until at least 2025, meaning they're unlikely to leave unless a huge offer comes in.