Almost 100 million for Leipzig
Man City make RB star the most expensive defender in the world
08/05/2023, 11:30 am
The record transfer of Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig to Champions League winners Manchester City is perfect. The Bundesliga club is to receive a transfer fee of around 91.5 million euros plus bonuses for the Croatian international. Gvardiol came to RB from Dinamo Zagreb in 2020 for 18 million euros.
It has been hinted at for a long time, now it is fixed: the transfer of defender Josko Gvardiol from DFB Cup winner RB Leipzig to Champions League winner Manchester City has been wrapped up. The Croatian has signed a five-year contract with the English champions from team manager Pep Guardiola. The Saxons are to receive a transfer fee of around 91.5 million euros plus bonuses for the Croatian international. Gvardiol came to RB from Dinamo Zagreb in 2020 for 18 million euros.
According to RB managing director Max Eberl, the “complete financial package” makes Gvardiol the “most expensive defender in history”. Therefore, the club “decided to agree to the early change, taking all parameters into account,” added the RB managing director. So far, Harry Maguire, who went from Leicester City to Manchester United for 87 million euros in 2019, has held this record. “Josko is going to one of the world’s best teams. That alone shows the development he has made with us over the past two years. Like others, he is an example of the path we are taking at RB Leipzig,” Eberl continued.
After Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool FC) and Christopher Nkunku (Chelsea FC), Gvardiol is the third well-known but also lucrative Leipzig departure this summer. The defensive player came to Leipzig from Dinamo Zagreb in 2021 for 19 million euros, a year ago he reached the World Cup semi-finals with the Croatian national team. Gvardiol played 87 competitive games for Leipzig in the past two seasons, scoring five goals. He was involved in both DFB Cup triumphs in Saxony.
Gvardiol meets compatriot Mateo Kovacic at City, who comes from Chelsea to the Champions League winner. At City, however, the 21-year-old also faces top-class competition in Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, John Stones and Aymeric Laporte. “Moving to City is something very special for me and my family,” Gvardiol is quoted as saying on the City website: “The chance to work with Pep Guardiola will be fantastic. I know I’m not ready yet, but I’m sure my game will develop under the best coach in football.”