Man City join Chelsea in race for Gvardiol - RB Leipzig insist young defender is not for sale
This article was first published on June 27 and then updated on July 21 with new information.
Manchester City have joined the race for RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, following enquires from Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur regarding the player's availability this summer. Transfermarkt understands that all three clubs have now reached out to the German side about potentially signing the young star, but have each been told that the 20-year-old talent is not for sale. Valued at €35 million, Gvardiol has yet to become the subject of an official offer from the Premier League but continues to garner interest from England's biggest clubs.
Each of the three clubs in question have been in the market for defenders this summer, with Spurs already adding Barcelona's Clément Lenglet on loan. Similarly, Chelsea have also spent big on Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly and remain heavily linked with a move for Sevilla star Jules Koundé. In contrast, Man City have yet to bring in any ddefensive reinforcements but will now be in the market for left-sided central defenders or full-backs, following Oleksandr Zinchenko's impeding move to Arsenal.
Gvardiol was nothing short of a revelation for the Saxony side over the course of the 2021/22 season, when he made the move to the Bundesliga side following an €18.8 million move from Dinamo Zagreb. Following the sale of Dayot Upamecano to Bayern Munich for €42m, new head coach Jesse Marsch gave the Croatian talent a starting role in his team in only the second matchday of the new league campaign and that’s where Gvardiol stayed, missing just four of the club’s next 33 league games.
As such, Gvardiol’s market value has shot up in no time at all, jumping from €19m to €25m in December last year, before rising to €30m in March of this year following his impressive performances for RB Leipzig in which he helped his side win their first German Cup title. The 20-year-old talent is now valued at €35m, following our most recent market value update for the Bundesliga.
Despite their relatively short history in the German top flight, Leipzig are no strangers to enquiries for their young stars from the Premier League. Three of the club’s five most expensive departures came about from offers from England, with Ibrahima Konaté’s €40m move to Liverpool, Timo Werner’s €53m deal to join Chelsea and then Naby Keïta’s €60m transfer to the aforementioned Anfield side all coming in the previous four years. However, unlikely Upamecano’s €42m move to Bayern, Leipzig won’t be tripped up by any release clauses in Gvardiol’s contract and if they do eventually decide to sell the player, will be able to name their price - which could end up being a record transfer fee for the club.
- Date of birth/Age:
- Jan 23, 2002 (22)
- Nat.:
- Current club:
- Manchester City
- Contract until:
- Jun 30, 2028
- Position:
- Left-Back
- Market Value:
- €75.00m
- Total Market Value:
- €503.90m
- Competition:
- Bundesliga
- Position:
- 4.
- Manager:
- Marco Rose
- Squad size:
- 24
- Latest Transfer:
- Eljif Elmas