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17/12/2022 | 01:45pm
Manchester Metropolis have reportedly provided €100m (£85m) to signal RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol, and the World Cup celebrity may show to be the subsequent Vincent Kompany in Pep Guardiola‘s facet.
In keeping with French information outlet Foot Mercato, the Premier League champions are set to compete with Manchester United and Chelsea for the 20-year-old and have already submitted an eye-watering bid as they give the impression of being to safe one of many prime younger defenders in world soccer.
If Gvardiol wasn’t already identified to Europe’s elite earlier than the World Cup, he will definitely be prime of quite a few supervisor’s Christmas lists after his dominant shows in Qatar for Croatia, with whom he reached the semi-finals earlier than defeat towards Argentina earlier this week.
In six appearances for Zlatko Dalic’s facet on the World Cup previous to right this moment’s third-place play-off, Gvardiol has earned a formidable 6.86 ranking from WhoScored for his performances. He ranks first for interceptions and clearances out of everybody in Croatia’s squad, which emphasises how essential he was of their run to the ultimate 4.
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Each day Categorical journalist Ryan Taylor was stuffed with reward for the previous Dinamo Zagreb man’s performances in Qatar, tweeting: “Hear me out however assume Joško Gvardiol could possibly be definitely worth the eye-watering figures presently being quoted by RB Leipzig. Watched him very carefully at World Cup & his studying of the sport is phenomenal. Nonetheless solely 20. Man mountain & can even play with each ft. Prime defender.”
Ought to the Croatian full a transfer to the Etihad Stadium subsequent month, he may observe within the footsteps of Metropolis legend Vincent Kompany.
The Belgian defender joined the Residents from Hamburg in 2008 when he was simply 22 and was additionally considered one of many prime younger centre-backs in Europe.
He actually lived as much as that status in additional than 10 years with the membership, making 360 appearances for Metropolis and successful 12 home trophies in that point, as he grew to become a giant a part of their evolution into one of many prime groups in England, incomes a spot within the Premier League Corridor of Fame.
Like Kompany did in his time on the Etihad, Gvardiol’s FBRef report emphasises that he excels at passing and interceptions, which marks him out as a prime trendy defender.
If the Croatia worldwide have been to affix Guardiola’s facet in 2023, he may simply play at centre-back for the subsequent decade, so there appears no motive why he couldn’t set up a legacy much like Kompany’s at Manchester Metropolis.