RB Leipzig centre-back Josko Gvardiol is reportedly close to agreeing personal terms with Manchester City.
The 21-year-old rose to stardom for club and country during the 2022-23 season and is believed to have caught the eye of top clubs across the continent.
Back in September, Gvardiol agreed a new deal with Die Roten Bullen until the summer of 2027, so the German side can afford to demand an extortionate fee for a sale.
Chelsea have already tried and failed to bring Gvardiol to the Premier League, while Liverpool, Manchester United and Real Madrid have also been linked with a move in the past.
However, speculation over the Croatia international's future has cooled recently, as his mammoth price tag has seemingly deterred potential suitors from pursuing a deal this summer.
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Nevertheless, with most of their rivals out of the running, Man City have apparently accelerated their efforts to bring Gvardiol to the Etihad Stadium for the 2023-24 campaign.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the Premier League champions are now on the cusp of agreeing personal terms with Gvardiol, but finding common ground with Leipzig will be another challenge entirely.
The German giants are determined to keep hold of the centre-back this summer, and Romano adds that they would demand a fee in excess of €80m (£68.9m) to sell him in the coming weeks.
Gvardiol put Premier League clubs on red alert earlier this year, claiming that his "goal" is to one day play in England's top flight, although he has since affirmed that Leipzig are not looking to offload him this summer.
The former Dinamo Zagreb youngster joined Leipzig for just €18.8m (£16.2m) in the summer of 2021 and has five goals and three assists under his belt from 87 games in all tournaments.
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Gvardiol has won back-to-back DFB-Pokal titles with Leipzig and also earned plaudits for his displays at the 2022 World Cup, playing every minute of Croatia's run to the bronze medal and scoring in the third-placed playoff against Morocco.
Man City are well-stocked in the heart of defence at present, but uncertainty lingers over the future of Aymeric Laporte, who has been relegated to a squad role over the past couple of years.
It has been claimed that the Citizens are open to selling Laporte once a replacement is signed, and the Spain international is thought to be a target for Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur.
Man City are already poised to welcome one Croatian to the club in the form of Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic, reportedly agreeing a fee of £30m for the former Real Madrid man.
Kovacic will arrive at the Etihad as a replacement for Ilkay Gundogan, who is set to snub the Citizens' efforts to tie him down to a new deal in favour of joining Barcelona.
Ben Knapton
