Linked with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid: Manchester City's Josko Gvardiol makes decision on his future | Goal.com
Manchester City announced on Tuesday lunchtime that Gvardiol's new contract runs until 2031. That ties down a key player on a long-term deal after links with other major clubs in recent months.
"As soon as I found out that City wanted to extend my contract, I immediately felt that it was what I wanted too," Gvardiol said after signing. They have "a world-class team that are young and full of potential. I am firmly convinced that we will be very successful in the coming years," the 24-year-old added, looking to the future with real optimism.
City are understood to have made the extension more appealing to Gvardiol with a substantial pay rise. There was reportedly very high-profile competition for his signature, with speculation over Bayern Munich's interest gathering pace for a time in May. In June, however, Sky then reported that Bayern had withdrawn from the race for Gvardiol, for whom they would have had to dig very deep into their pockets.
City paid a hefty €90 million transfer fee in 2023 to bring Gvardiol from RB Leipzig to England. The Croatian's high price tag also appears to have put off Real Madrid in the end, who were also said to have had Gvardiol on their radar. Jose Mourinho, the new Real coach, is said to be a big fan of the left-footer, who can play at centre-back as well as left-back. Instead of Gvardiol, Ibrahima Konate joined the Spanish capital on a free transfer.
For Gvardiol, there is now clarity too. The Croatia international had been a regular starter over the past three years under former coach Pep Guardiola, who departed at the end of the season just gone. In the second half of last season, however, Gvardiol was out for months because of a broken shinbone that he suffered in January.
He still managed two appearances towards the end of the season. But he was no longer fully firing at the World Cup: after starting the first two group matches against England (2-4) and Panama (1-0), Croatia's now retired former national coach Zlatko Dalic almost completely did without Gvardiol in the decisive group-stage match against Ghana (2-1) and also in the bitter last-16 exit against Portugal (1-2). "He also knows that he cannot simply return to top form so easily and quickly. [...] We will not expose him to any major risk if he is not 100 per cent fit," Dalic had said of the City star before the clash with Portugal, with Gvardiol only coming on for the closing minutes against both Ghana and Portugal.
By the start of the new Premier League season against Bournemouth on 23 August at the latest, Gvardiol wants to be back to full sharpness. The defender expects a lot from working with the new coach, Guardiola's successor Enzo Maresca: "I think we can achieve great things together," he said.
Orijinal haberi okuyun
