Manchester City have been pretty quiet in the summer transfer window, lately, but that’s about to change in a big way. Winger Riyad Mahrez is closing on a move to Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli while defender Josko Gvardiol is set to move over from RB Leipzig.
Let’s start with the latter, a 21-year-old who can play in both central defense and at left-back, and is now on the brink of becoming the second signing of the summer.
Midfielder Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea was the first. Negotiations with Leipzig have reached the final stage, according to the Daily Mail, “as they look to seal a £90 million deal.”
That would be a record breaking deal for a defender, surpassing the £80 million that Manchester United paid Leicester City for Harry Maguire in 2019.
Is the man nicknamed “Little Pep” worth it? Well, only time will tell but we covered that at this link, and again at this link. Moving on to Mahrez, the 32-year-old’s transfer with Al-Ahli, according to multiple reports, is worth €35 million (£30.4m, $39.2m), plus €5m in potential add-ons.
It’s a good move for the former Algerian national team captain, who has been relegated to mostly only a cup competition player at this point.
Other than Kovacic, the only other major deal we’ve seen is Ilkay Gundogan, who left to join FC Barcelona on a Bosman transfer.
However, playmaking forward Bernardo Silva has seen his name churning in the transfer rumor mill consistently this summer while Kyle Walker has been linked to Bayern Munich.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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