Manchester City has finalized the signing of Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig. The 21-year-old defender has committed to a five-year contract with the Premier League club.Gvardiola indicated the transfer was pretty much done on Friday, when he made a joke tellong reporters that Gvardiol “had a beautiful surname”.According to reports from The Athletic on Wednesday, City agreed to pay RB Leipzig $98.6 million for the strong stopper. Gvardiol himself has explained his motivations for the move, expressing excitement about the opportunity to work with manager Guardiola.”Anyone who saw Manchester City play last season knows they are the best team in the world. To have the chance to work with Pep Guardiola, too, will be amazing for me. I know I am not yet the finished article and I am sure my game will progress under the best coach in football.”##NAJAVA_MECA_7409592##City’s director of football, Txiki Begiristain, praised Gvardiol’s skillset. “He is a player we have watched closely, and we feel he has a superb set of attributes. Josko has so many qualities – everything you want in a center–half. He is fast, competitive, combative, strong in the air, impressive in possession of the ball, with strong self–belief and a good character. He is left–footed, too, which offers us good options at the back.”Josko Gvardiol is here and it’s perfect. Welcome to the treble winners Man City pic.twitter.com/Lht2LyNJay— 17 (@DxBruyneSZN) August 5, 2023 Gvardiol’s arrival marks the second Croatian player to join Guardiola’s side during this transfer window, following the signing of Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea. During the last season, Gvardiol made 41 appearances in all competitions, helping Leipzig secure a third-place finish and Champions League qualification. Notably, he scored against Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie and played a pivotal role in Leipzig’s DFB-Pokal victory. Furthermore, he impressed on the international stage for Croatia during the World Cup in Qatar last year, even scoring in the third-place play-off final against Morocco.With his arrival at City, Gvardiol will compete with fellow center-backs John Stones, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, and Aymeric Laporte for a place in Guardiola’s starting lineup.
