Liverpool look on as Man City are on the verge of signing Josko Gvardiol, despite the defender’s ‘dream’ admission.
Liverpool will reportedly miss Josko Gvardiol, despite the Croatian calling the Reds his ‘dream club’. Gvardiol is rumored to be joining Premier League rivals Manchester City for a world record fee for a defender
Gvardiol has previously admitted that Liverpool are his “dream club” and revealed that he idolizes Reds star Virgil van Dijk. The RB Leipzig defender called Van Dijk “the best”.
My dream club? It would definitely be Liverpool,” he told Croatian TV channel RTLDanas. “Since I was little, I watched a lot of their matches with my father.
“We discussed each season in detail. It’s a club that has remained close to my heart.”
He also told 24sata: “As a child I admired Lionel Messi, but now I look more and more at the players in my position. And today Virgil Van Dijk is the best.”
However, Pep Guardiola looks poised to win the race to sign Gvardiol this summer. The 21-year-old defender has attracted the attention of some of Europe’s biggest clubs, with the Champions League and treble winners likely to beat both Liverpool and Chelsea.
Leipzig want at least £85.9m for Gvardiol this summer, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. A new round of talks between City and the Bundesliga side is expected in the coming days.
A figure close to Leipzig’s asking price would make the Croatian international the most expensive centre-back of all time. He would easily top the £75m Manchester United paid to sign Harry Maguire in 2019.
Romano’s report adds that Gvardiol has already agreed personal terms with City, meaning a deal would be a formality if the two clubs successfully finalize transfer fee talks. Guardiola is said to be a huge fan of the youngster.
Gvardiol can play at both centre-back and left-back, meaning he would suit the role played by Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji and Aymeric Laporte last season. In defensive situations, they would play as a left back against the opposing team’s right winger.
But when City regained possession, they slipped and formed a back three. John Stones then moved from right-back to central midfield to form a 3-2-2-3 formation.
Meanwhile, Liverpool were still unlikely to sign Gvardiol this summer. They had previously turned down a £100m deal for prime target Jude Bellingham, meaning a similar transfer fee for a defender was out of the question.
