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Manchester City 'have not made bid for RB Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol'

By Oliver Thomas, Senior Reporter | 03 August 2022

Man City 'have not made bid for Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol'

Premier League champions Manchester City have not tabled a €80m (£66.8m) bid for RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, according to a report.

Manchester City have not tabled a bid for RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, according to a report.

The Premier League champions are understood to be on the lookout for a new left-back after allowing Oleksandr Zinchenko to join Arsenal earlier in the window.

Gvardiol, who can operate as either a centre-back or left-back, is believed to be on City's radar, while London trio Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have also been credited with an interest.

On Tuesday, it was reported by German news outlet Bild that the Citizens had seen a €80m (£66.8m) bid for the 20-year-old rejected by Leipzig.

However, the Daily Mail now claims that City have not tabled an offer for Gvardiol and they currently have no intention of signing the defender this summer.

The report adds that Leipzig are hoping to keep hold of the Croatia international, who still has four years remaining on his contract with the Bundesliga club.

Josko Gvardiol warms up for RB Leipzig in November 2021 © Reuters

Chelsea are also understood to have failed with a swap deal for Gvardiol involving former Leipzig forward Timo Werner, who has been strongly linked with an exit from Stamford Bridge this summer.

After a year on loan with his boyhood club Dinamo Zagreb, Gvardiol enjoyed an impressive first year with Leipzig's senior side last season, making 45 appearances in all tournaments as well as helping the German outfit win the DFB-Pokal.

The defender gained experience in both the Champions League and Europa League last term, while he already has 10 international caps for Croatia, including four appearances as a left-back at Euro 2020.

With Leipzig desperate to hold on to Gvardiol, journalist Christian Falk claims that Die Roten Bullen are ready to offer the defender a new contract to fend off interest from other clubs.

Falk adds that Leipzig are planning to insert a release clause into his new deal which would become active in the summer of 2023.

Brighton & Hove Albion's Marc Cucurella claps the fans in April 2022 © Reuters

Another player who has been targeted by both Man City and Chelsea is Brighton & Hove Albion left-back Marc Cucurella.

The Citizens appear to have pulled out of the race, though, as the left-back is valued in excess of £50m, while Chelsea are allegedly prepared to meet his asking price.

Following several reports claiming that the Blues have agreed to sign the 24-year-old, Brighton released a statement on Wednesday evening denying such rumours, insisting that the reports were "inaccurate".

City are believed to have turned their attention to Anderlecht left-back Sergio Gomez, while Chelsea are thought to still be interested in signing Cucurella as well as Leicester City centre-back Wesley Fofana.