If he were to be sold for his estimated worth of £86 million, the 21-year-old central defender would set a new record for the cost of a defender in the history of the sport.

Eberl responded, “A lot has been written, and the latest information about Josko surprised us all,” when asked if a deal had been reached.

As of right now, there is a great distance between us.

Josko is here, so it’s not true,” he continued.

It doesn’t appear like he conducted any sort of medical evaluation. Furthermore, I don’t believe he did it secretly, as he is a true professional.

“There is absolutely no agreement, not even close.”

Since joining the German club from Dynamo Zagreb in July 2021, Gvardiol has appeared in 87 games.

He scored in the first leg of RB Leipzig’s last-16 Champions League match against City last season, a match that his team ultimately lost 8-1 on aggregate.

Since making his national team debut in 2021, he has earned 21 caps and contributed to Croatia’s third-place performance at the 2022 World Cup and second-place finish to Spain in the 2018-19 UEFA Nations League.

Although Eberl had previously revealed conversations with the Premier League winners, it was believed that City had not yet made a formal offer.

Recent rumors stated an agreement had been reached that would make him the most expensive defender in the world, surpassing Manchester United’s £80 million purchase of Harry Maguire in 2019.