Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola revealed that RB Leipzig centre-back Josko Gvardiol is having a medical ahead of a possible move to the Etihad Stadium.
City have agreed a fee of £77.5 million for Gvardiol, with add-ons that might make the transfer the most expensive ever involving a centre-back.
Guardiola has officially verified that Gvardiol is in Manchester to finalize his move. Gvardiol’s childhood nickname was Guardiola owing to the evident similarities between the two names.
“Gvardiol, what a beautiful surname he has!” Guardiola joked during a press conference.
“He is doing a medical test. Everybody knows he is here. Hopefully, we can finish the deal in the next few hours or days.”
If everything goes as planned, Gvardiol would join Ruben Dias, John Stones, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, and Aymeric Laporte as City’s sixth centre back, with Kyle Walker occasionally switching from right back.
“The season is so long. [Six] is not too much],” Guardiola said of his defensive group.
As Bayern Munich tries to entice the England international away from City, Walker’s future there is uncertain, but Guardiola is willing to fight to keep him.
He said: “[Walker] is so important to us. We want [him] and will do everything. We want him to stay because he wants to stay. We will do everything.”