Manchester City confident about renewing Real Madrid target until 2031 with improved salary – Romano | OneFootball

Real Madrid new manager Jose Mourinho has identified the defensive line as one of the major weaknesses in the squad and is already working to strengthen the department before next season.

Ibrahima Konate and Denzel Dumfries have already signed for Los Blancos, with the moves expected to be made official after the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Beyond that, the Portuguese tactician continues to scour the market for one more centre-back, with Josko Gvardiol of Manchester City having emerged as a key target.

Gvardiol to renew with Manchester City

However, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Manchester City are now confident about extending Gvardiol’s contract and keeping him at the Etihad Stadium.

The Croatian international’s contract with the Cityzens runs until the summer of 2028 and they have been working on a renewal for quite some time now.

Set to renew with Gvardiol. (Photo by Kate McShane/Getty Images)

Some reports in Spain even suggested that the defender had pressed paused on renewal talks after Real Madrid’s interest had surfaced.

However, now, as per Romano, the Premier League heavyweights are confident and optimistic about Gvardiol signing a new deal despite Real Madrid’s push to sign him.

As per the report, Gvardiol’s new contract with Manchester City would run until 2031 and will see his salary getting improved.

A blow for Real Madrid

This development comes as a gutting blow for Real Madrid, given that they had identified Gvardiol as the ideal target to reinforce the backline.

Gvardiol was a key target for Real Madrid. (Photo by Kate McShane/Getty Images)

The fact that he would reinforce the centre-back and left-back positions and would be a long-term signing, given his age, made the Croatian a very enticing target for Los Blancos.

So, the possibility of him renewing his contract and staying put at the Etihad will come as a setback.

Consequently, Real Madrid must begin searching the market for alternatives, with names like Nico Schlotterbeck of Borussia Dortmund, Riccardo Calafiori of Arsenal, and Tomas Araujo of SL Benfica being mentioned as other options.

What is clear is that Real Madrid will rope in at least one more central defender in the summer, while also looking at the possibility of promoting someone like Joan Martinez or Diego Aguado from the academy.