Reliable journalist: Why Bayern ‘never pushed’ for Man City star
· Yahoo Sports
Visit moryak.biz for more information.
Manchester City centre-back Josko Gvardiol is on the verge of signing a new long-term contract at the Etihad Stadium.
Gvardiol joined Manchester City in the summer of 2023 and has already made over 120 appearances across all competitions, scoring 13 goals.
Following Pep Guardiola’s departure, several players’ futures came under the spotlight, with Gvardiol linked to a potential move to Bayern Munich and clubs in Spain.
Bayern Munich were interested in Josko Gvardiol
The Croatian is regarded as a top-class centre-back, and like other elite clubs, Bayern registered their interest, although they were well aware of how difficult it would be to prise him away from Manchester City.
Christian Falk previously shared to CFBayern Insider that Gvardiol would like to return to the Bundesliga one day. Lothar Matthaus also suggested that Bayern were considering a move for the centre-back.
However, the German giants knew any deal would be expensive, with reports indicating a fee in the region of £60.5m-£64.8m.
Bayern were also aware that Manchester City had already tabled a lucrative long-term contract offer, and that the Croatian defender may consider staying at the club.
Josko Gvardiol new deal – blow for Bayern?
It has been widely reported that Gvardiol has now signed a new contract that will keep him at Manchester City until 2031.
He is viewed as a key player by sporting director Hugo Viana and is set to play a major role under incoming manager Enzo Maresca.
Is this a blow for Bayern? Not at all.
The Bavarians did not make any concrete attempt to sign him.
Christian Falk has exclusively told CFBayern Insider that Bayern are now concentrating on other targets — Nathaniel Brown and Ismael Saibari — and are close to achieving their goals in those pursuits.
The German champions will only consider signing a new centre-back if they manage to offload either Hiroki Ito, Kim Min-jae, or both.
Both Ito and Min-jae have started the World Cup strongly for their countries. Should they continue to impress throughout the tournament, Bayern could demand a significant fee for either player.
Only then, if squad space and finances allow, would Bayern look to bring in a new centre-back.