Josko Gvardiol leaves door open to Manchester City exit as Bayern Munich and Real Madrid circle | OneFootball

Josko Gvardiol has broken his silence on the widespread speculation surrounding his Manchester City future, insisting he is happy at the club while leaving the door open to a potential departure after the FIFA World Cup.

The 24-year-old has been at the centre of some of the most persistent transfer speculation of the summer window, with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid all understood to be working on signing him ahead of the 2026-27 season.

Manchester City have maintained they want to keep the Croatia international and offered the defender a lucrative contract extension earlier this year, though an agreement is yet to be reached.

Reacting to ongoing speculation over his club future, Gvardiol acknowledged the noise while stopping short of committing his future to the Etihad Stadium beyond the current summer.

“We’ve all seen various rumours coming from every direction,” the former RB Leipzig star said, as quoted by The Croatian on X. “I’m happy at Man City, I have everything I need.

However, Gvardiol did not go as far as confirming he will be staying at the Etihad Stadium beyond the upcoming transfer window.

He added: “Before the injury (that Gvardiol suffered in January), I played every match, almost full minutes. After the World Cup we’ll see what happens next.”

The phrasing of “after the World Cup, we’ll see what happens next” will inevitably be scrutinised, given the level of interest in the defender.

Rather than dismissing the speculation outright, Gvardiol appears to be deliberately keeping his options open – a position that will concern City as they attempt to finalise a new long-term deal before the summer window reaches its most critical phase.

City are determined to hold onto both Gvardiol and Ruben Dias this summer – a clear statement of intent from a club navigating significant change under incoming manager Enzo Maresca. Whether that desire is matched by the player himself is a question Gvardiol’s words have left open to interpretation.

What is the wider context for Gvardiol’s future?

Gvardiol joined Manchester City from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023 and has been one of the standout performers in the Premier League across his three seasons in Manchester – operating across left-back and centre-back with equal distinction and drawing consistent praise from Pep Guardiola throughout the Catalan’s tenure.

Much may yet depend on how soon Maresca is able to hold direct conversations with Gvardiol about his role in the new era, with the upcoming FIFA World Cup across the Atlantic making an early resolution of the situation difficult.

Gvardiol has been called up to Croatia’s FIFA World Cup squad, with manager Zlatko Dalic indicating he would give him chances in the warm-up games ahead of the tournament, which kicks off on June 11.

Barcelona’s interest represents a new and significant dimension to the pursuit, joining Real Madrid, who have been chasing Gvardiol for over three years, and Bayern Munich as the trio of elite clubs circling a player City are determined to keep.

City director of football Hugo Viana will need to move quickly once the World Cup concludes to secure a commitment or risk losing one of the club’s most important players for nothing in 2028.