Devesh Kumar
Transfer News: Manchester United have bid £77 million for RB Leipzig and Croatia defender Josko Gvardiol
According to Foot Mercato (h/t Express), Manchester United have submitted a bid of £77 million for RB Leipzig and Croatia centre-back Josko Gvardiol. Rivals Manchester City and Chelsea have also put in their bids.
City have the strongest bid with £86 million on the table, while the Blues are a bit behind with £82 million on the table. Other heavyweights like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona are also interested in the 20-year-old.
It is hardly surprising to see the European elites line up for the centre-back. The 20-year-old, despite his young age, has been one of the best defenders in Europe this season and is also bossing it at the back for his country at the FIFA World Cup.
The centre-back has started in all five games for his country and has conceded only one goal in the process. He was simply phenomenal against Brazil in the quarter-finals which saw the Croats win 5-3 on penalties.
For Leipzig too he has been a beast at the back. Ten Hag looks to be keen to add to his backline and it would be wise to do so too. Raphael Varane has been the go-to defender along with Lisandro Martinez, but the Frenchman has struggled to remain fit for a whole season.
Other centre-backs like Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof have uncertain futures, especially the former with him having fallen down the pecking order at the club. Adding a defender like Gvardiol offers many advantages.
Despite his young age, the 20-year-old has shown his defensive awareness, leadership and quality to lead the back line. He has proven himself on the biggest stage there is and it isn’t a surprise that many clubs want to secure his signature.
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Should United be able to land the Croatian defender, he could lead their backline for at least a decade. The centre-back is likely to give back more than his price tag and it will be wise for the Red Devils to up their bid and win his signature rather than allow a rival team to sign him.
