Pep Guardiola said on Friday that defender Josko Gvardiol was getting a medical examination at Manchester City in front of a possible transfer from RB Leipzig. Guardiola made the announcement as he was preparing his squad to play Arsenal in the Community Shield.
The three-time champions are very close to finalizing a deal to acquire the Croatian international and are said to have settled on a transfer price of 99 million euros (or 90 million euros).
Guardiola stated the following in front of media before Sunday’s first match of the Premier League season against Arsenal at Wembley Stadium: “Regarding Gvardiol — what a wonderful surname he has — he is undertaking a medical exam.
“Everyone knows he’s here, and hopefully we can finish the deal in the next few hours or days,” she said. “Everyone knows he’s here.”
Guardiola, who is 52 years old, was also questioned over the potential futures of Kyle Walker and Bernardo Silva. He made it quite clear that he wants both players to remain with the club, particularly in light of the losses of captain Ilkay Gundogan and winger Riyad Mahrez.
What else can I say about Kyle and Bernardo? They are so crucial to us that it would be quite difficult to find replacements for them, as stated by Guardiola.
“We lost two incredible players for us, Gundogan and Riyad was massively important in the last two seasons, goals, assists, and personality during the big occasions and important games,” said the manager.
“It would be very difficult to lose both Kyle and Bernardo. Because of this, we are going to make every effort to ensure that they continue to feel at home in our community.