An update has emerged on Manchester City and their attempts to bolster their defensive options after their treble-winning 2022/23 campaign.
What's the latest on Josko Gvardiol to Man City?
According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Citizens are set to advance their attempts to land RB Leipzig central defender Josko Gvardiol this summer.
Pep Guardiola is pursuing a deal to sign the Croatian ahead of next season and the club will need to pay at least £85m in order to secure his signature.
The reporter said: "Manchester City will keep working on Joško Gvardiol deal next week. Talks will enter into advanced stages with Leipzig with new verbal bid. Exclusive story from yesterday: personal terms, 100% agreed. Gvardiol said yes. Leipzig want at least €100m."
Where would Josko Gvardiol fit in at Man City?
Guardiola often deployed a system last season that had four out-and-out central defenders across the back four and Gvardiol could easily slot in on the left side in either position.
The 21-year-old has experience playing as a central defender and as a left-back in his career and the talented youngster could come in as a big upgrade on Nathan Ake in the latter role.
RB Leipzig's stopper has proven himself to be an excellent Bundesliga performer and caught the eye with his exceptional performances at the World Cup last year. He averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.16 and made 2.9 tackles and interceptions per match across seven outings in the tournament.
The Croatian defender also averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.10 across 29 Bundesliga appearances in 21/22 and made 3.4 tackles and interceptions per game.
Ake, comparatively, has not averaged a Premier League rating higher than 7.08 or managed more than 1.9 tackles and interceptions per outing in any of his three campaigns with City to date, which suggests that Gvardiol has the potential to deliver better performances week-in-week-out.
The "monster" – as the aforementioned Romano once described him – could suit the left-back role in Guardiola's new-look system perfectly as he is adept at progressing the ball through dribbles to get his team up the pitch.
He has averaged 1.63 progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90 over the last 365 days in the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions, in comparison to Ake's 1.41 per 90.
This suggests that the £19k-per-week colossus could also be an upgrade in terms of how he drives the team forward by dribbling past opposition attackers to open up space for the midfielders and attackers to then receive possession.
Gvardiol is also seven years younger than Ake and, therefore, has many years left ahead of him to grow and develop under Guardiola's coaching, which is another reason why City could land a big upgrade on the Dutchman by securing this deal.