City Xtra
·12 June 2026
Real Madrid and Barcelona stance on Josko Gvardiol as Man City table lucrative contract offer

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Yahoo sportsCity Xtra
·12 June 2026

Real Madrid and Barcelona remain interested in Josko Gvardiol should the defender fail to agree a new contract at Manchester City this summer, as per a new report.
The Croatian’s future has been one of the dominant storylines of City’s summer, with reports from Croatia having claimed he wanted to leave following Pep Guardiola‘s departure before the picture shifted considerably in the club’s favour over recent days.
Manchester City have offered Gvardiol a new deal until 2031 with improved salary terms, with recent reporting indicating the club are optimistic of receiving the 24-year-old’s personal green light – owing to the fact that the defender is settled in Manchester and expected to stay on despite Guardiola’s exit.
Third club emerges in race for Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol
As reported by Simon Jones of Mail Sport, Real Madrid and Barcelona retain an interest in Gvardiol should he fail to sign a fresh Manchester City deal ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The update confirms that neither Spanish club has fully walked away from the situation, with both monitoring the contract talks from a distance and ready to move should negotiations between City and the defender break down.
Barcelona are believed to have tabled an offer worth over €80 million plus bonuses for Gvardiol earlier this week, a proposal City completely blocked as they remain focused entirely on extending the Croatian’s stay at the Etihad Stadium.
City’s minimum valuation of €90 million has been a consistent feature of the saga, with director of football Hugo Viana unwilling to entertain bids below the fee paid to RB Leipzig for the defender in 2023.
The momentum in the saga has shifted decisively towards a renewal in recent days, with multiple reliable sources indicating Gvardiol is leaning towards committing his future to City rather than forcing a move to Spain.
Direct conversations between the defender and incoming manager Enzo Maresca are expected once Croatia‘s FIFA World Cup campaign concludes, with those talks likely to finalise a decision either way.
Revealed: Josko Gvardiol’s two options on Manchester City future with Bayern Munich ruled out
Jones’ update serves as a reminder that the situation is not yet formally resolved, with Madrid and Barcelona both retaining enough interest to pounce should the renewal stall unexpectedly in the weeks ahead.
For City, completing the contract signing quickly would remove the final layer of uncertainty around a defensive core that could also lose Ruben Dias this summer, having already bid farewell to long-serving star John Stones.







































