Barcelona eyeing move for Josko Gvardiol despite Manchester City efforts to keep defender | OneFootball

Josko Gvardiol could leave Manchester City and join Barcelona after the club expressed a desire to bolster their squad this summer, as per reports from Spain. 

The defender has enjoyed three successful seasons in England since his £77 million move from RB Leipzig in 2023 but a fractured leg at the start of the calendar m year marred his ascent.

Gvardiol was sidelined for just over four months but at the start of May, City were prioritising a contract renewal for the defender to stay at the Etihad Stadium past the expiration of his current contract – in 2028.

With the departure of John Stones, who was given a heartfelt send-off on the final day of the Premier League season alongside Bernardo Silva and Pep Guardiola, City’s defensive options at the start of next season will be narrower.

And despite Bayern Munich being attentive to the Croatia international’s situation, El Partidazo de COPE have reported that La Liga champions Barcelona are working on signing Gvardiol this summer as they look to strengthen their squad ahead of the 2026-27 season. 

Hansi Flick’s side won the La Liga title by eight points earlier this month but crashed out of the UEFA Champions League to Atletico Madrid at the quarter-final stage.

Despite domestic success, it is clear that sporting director Deco has a desire to make Barcelona the force they once were in Europe and have launched multiple proposals across the continent.

The Nou Camp side have already signed Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United for £69.3 million and are negotiating with Barcelona for Argentina international Julian Alvarez. 

Barcelona initially identified Alessandro Bastoni as their main defensive target but were unwilling to meet Inter Milan’s €70 million price.

That refusal will make it difficult for the Blaugrana to secure a world-class defender this summer, particularly Gvardiol, who is valued at a similar price to Bastoni, a key member of Inter’s Serie A-winning side this season.

With a contract that runs for another two years, City hold the high ground in the negotiations and will likely reject anything below €90 million for the 24-year-old, who has played 122 games in all competitions for the Blues.

Earlier this month, Gvardiol was called up to Zlatko Dalic’s Croatia squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup squad, where the manager said he would give him chances in the warm-up games ahead of the tournament, which kicks off on June 11.