Manchester City supervisor Pep Guardiola stated his near-namesake, Croatia defender Joško Gvardiol, was present process a medical on Friday and will full his switch in a matter of hours.
Gvardiol, nicknamed “Little Pep” as a result of his identify sounds just like Guardiola’s, is nearing a transfer to City for a reported 90 million euros ($99 million) from German membership Leipzig, which might rank him among the many costliest defenders in soccer historical past.
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“Regarding Gvardiol — what a beautiful surname he has — he’s doing a medical test,” Guardiola stated forward of City’s season-opening Community Shield recreation in opposition to Arsenal on Sunday. “Everybody knows he’s here, and hopefully we can finish the deal in the next hours, the next days.”
The 21-year-old Gvardiol was praised for his performances throughout Croatia’s run to the semifinals eventually yr’s World Cup in Qatar. He additionally gained the German Cup in back-to-back seasons with Leipzig.
The reported charge places Gvardiol among the many likes of Manchester United’s Harry Maguire, who value 80 million kilos (then $97 million) when he joined from Leicester in 2019, and Virgil van Dijk, who moved from Southampton to Liverpool for 75 million kilos (then $100 million) in 2018.
