Manchester City are keen on retaining Joško Gvardiol amid interest from Real Madrid.
The Croatia international returned to the pitch in May, after recovering from a setback suffered in January.
There was talk of the defender’s future at Manchester City while he was recovering and these links aren’t going away.
On May 18th, Sport Witness covered claims from Spain that his agent has offered him to Real Madrid. This came at a time when there were no developments over his renewal.
Manchester City star is an option for Real Madrid
AS now pick up on that and report the 24-year-old is still an option for the La Liga side.
Florentino Pérez has confirmed Ibrahima Konaté, who left Liverpool as a free agent, will join the club if he wins reelection this weekend. Los Blancos also want to sign another centre-back and this is where the Manchester City man comes into the picture.
David Alaba will leave when his contract expires on June 30th, while Éder Militão won’t be available until November. There is uncertainty around Raúl Asencio’s future and concerns over Antonio Rüdiger’s fitness.
Joško Gvardiol can be an option for Real Madrid, who have admired him since his time at RB Leipzig, and appreciate his ability to also operate as a left-back.
His name on the table, but Los Blancos won’t sign him if Manchester City were to demand an exorbitant fee.
Manchester City want to extend his contract
The player’s contract expires in 2028 but he wants to leave the Etihad this summer after Pep Guardiola’s departure.
That’s according to Sportske Novosti, who state the Citizens won’t give up without a fight and ‘don’t want to show weakness’ after Guardiola’s exit.
Manchester City are already preparing a new tempting offer to convince Joško Gvardiol to continue at the club. If there’s an exit, the Premier League side will demand the fee they invested [around €90m in 2023] to sell him.
Sportske Novosti points out the English club have a history of not retaining unhappy players. This could play in Real Madrid’s favour, if they are willing to match or get close to Manchester City’s price.
Quick resolution unlikely
He’s with the national team preparing for the World Cup, where he will have a key role.
A potential development, either for the renewal or his exit, is likely to take place after the World Cup. The question is whether Real Madrid are willing to wait for Joško Gvardiol or move on to other targets.
With a contract until 2028, Transfermarkt value the Croatian at €70m.