“He threw a few words at me” – Josko Gvardiol reveals Pep Guardiola interaction following Man City clash

Manchester City centre-back target and current RB Leipzig star Josko Gvardiol has revealed a personal interaction with Pep Guardiola.

The two men clashed across two-legs in the recent UEFA Champions League Round of 16, as Manchester City cruised past Leipzig via an aggregate score of 8-1 and largely thanks to a sensational five-goal haul from Erling Haaland.

While the two sides went into the Etihad Stadium second-leg with the scoreline finely poised at 1-1 courtesy of a Gvardiol second-half header for the hosts, it was Manchester City who showed their class in the end with a 7-0 home victory earlier this month.

The contest across 180 minutes gave Manchester City officials the perfect chance to see central defensive transfer target Josko Gvardiol first-hand – a player that Pep Guardiola and sporting director Txiki Begiristain are understood to admire.

It has now been revealed that the City boss had a personal interaction with the Croatia international after the last-16 contest, while Gvardiol himself refuses to reveal the finer details of what was said during the conversation.

Speaking to Net HR, as relayed by Fabrizio Romano, Josko Gvardiol said, “I congratulated Pep Guardiola (after Manchester City’s last-16 win). He threw a few words at me, but I will keep them to myself.”

Continuing, Gvardiol also revealed his current employers’ stance on a potential transfer for the in-demand defender this summer, as he explained, “RB Leipzig is not interested in selling me this summer. There is no point in talking about anything else.”

Manchester City are expected to pursue a deal for the 21 year-old in the coming months, and could intensify their already strong interest should Aymeric Laporte be moved on due to a dissatisfaction with game time.

The Spanish international has been largely out of favour this season, with Manuel Akanji’s ever-present spot in the starting line-up and the returns of Ruben Dias and John Stones from injury.

As such, Laporte may deem it necessary to seek new pastures, with the Manchester City defender highly unlikely to be short of potential suitors from the likes of Spain and Italy in particular this summer.