Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is urging Etihad officials to sign RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol this summer, Football Insider report.

What’s the latest on Man City and Gvardiol?

It could well be a busy summer for City chiefs, with a new midfielder possibly on the agenda to replace Ilkay Gundogan. The German is out of contract in Manchester at the end of the season and has reportedly held talks with Barcelona. City have Bundesliga duo Jude Bellingham and Florian Wirtz as potential replacements for Gundogan, and it appears as if a new centre-back is of interest as well.

The club are willing to sell Aymeric Laporte after falling out of favour under Guardiola, with the City boss seemingly identifying his top defensive target. Football Insider provided a Manchester City update they have heard regarding Gvardiol in the last 48 hours, revealing that Guardiola is a big fan of the player and has personally urged the club to sign the centre-back.

Chelsea and Real Madrid are also interested in Gvardiol, who will have a £97m release clause in his deal from 2024. As a result, there could be a rush to secure the player’s services this summer.

Has Guardiola already laid the groundwork?

Guardiola had the chance to watch Gvardiol in action in Manchester City’s last 16 Champions League tie with Leipzig, with the 21-year-old scoring a first-leg equaliser in Germany. The player admitted that he had a conversation with the City boss after the second leg in Manchester but refused to go into detail, saying:

"I extended my hand to Guardiola and congratulated him on advancing in the Champions League. Guardiola, a great coach, threw a few words at me, but I will keep them to myself."

Therefore, Guardiola may have already laid the groundwork and hinted to the player over a potential summer move to the Etihad.

The left-footed centre-back recently starred at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar for Croatia and has been called 'sensational' by members of the media. Former midfielder and pundit Owen Hargreaves has also declared that Gvardiol will be "the best centre-back in the world one day", which highlights his potential, which he may end up fulfilling in Manchester.

Should Laporte depart as speculated, Gvardiol could prove to be a brilliant long-term replacement, looking to establish himself as a regular ahead of the likes of Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, John Stones and Manuel Akanji.