From Fabrizio Romano: Manchester City schedule further showdown talks over second summer signing

Manchester City have scheduled another round of showdown talks with Bundesliga giants RB Leipzig over the signing of Croatia international Josko Gvardiol.

The 21-year-old has already informed his current club of his desire to work with Pep Guardiola and Manchester City from next season, in a detail that was confirmed by RB Leipzig director Max Eberl.

Speaking during a recent interview, Eberl stated, “I can confirm that Joško Gvardiol and his agents have told us about their desire to move to Manchester City.

“His desire is to join Manchester City. We are in talks with City. For €100 million plus add ons, Joško will end up in Pep’s strong hands. This would make Gvardiol the most expensive defender in history.”

Given the clear stance of the player, all that is left to do before the Croatia international makes the move to the Etihad Stadium is for the two clubs to reach an agreement over a transfer fee – a task that is proving to be more difficult than some may have initially imagined.

However, there is a desire from both sides to come to a conclusion in the coming days and weeks, and a new report has detailed a fresh round of talks that have now been booked in between the Premier League and Bundesliga clubs.

That is according to the information of the ever-reliable Fabrizio Romano, who states that Manchester City have now scheduled a new round of talks to make ‘decisive steps’ on the Joško Gvardiol deal. It is stated that those dialogues are expected to take place in the next week.

It is further reaffirmed that negotiations between the two clubs are continuing after an initial approach from Manchester City for a deal worth €75 million plus add-ons were rejected by the German club who, as we know, want at least €100 million.

Gvardiol is Manchester City’s priority in the summer transfer window, before the club will then look to understand the intentions of a number of first-team stars who may want to leave the Etihad Stadium in the weeks ahead.

It is understood that the rest of Manchester City’s summer transfer business is dependant on outgoings, and the club will only look to recruit further beyond Josko Gvardiol should any of their existing first-team names leave the club.

That includes the signing of a second central midfielder following the arrival of Mateo Kovacic, with Manchester City linked to the likes of Celta Vigo’s Gabri Veiga.

Bernardo Silva is the most likely name to leave from City’s midfield ranks, as the Portugal international weighs up his options amid interest from both Saudi Arabia and Paris Saint-Germain in particular.