FC Bayern must change its plans regarding Josko Gvardiol. Manchester City has made a clear decision—with consequences for the Munich club.
Bayern’s recent interest in Josko Gvardiol is likely to be officially over. According to information from transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the Croatian World Cup player will remain at Manchester City and extend his contract.
According to the report, Gvardiol will extend his current contract with the top English club, which runs through 2028, until 2031. The extension is also said to include a pay raise.
In addition to FC Bayern, Real Madrid was reportedly the club most actively pursuing the 24-year-old. While Gvardiol was recently an intriguing prospect for the Munich club, the interest apparently never materialized into anything concrete.
Gvardiol apparently too expensive for Bayern
Sky reporter Florian Plettenberg had already reported last week that FC Bayern was now “100 percent” out of the running for Gvardiol. While his qualities are reportedly appreciated at Säbener Straße, a transfer was deemed too expensive.
Gvardiol is familiar with the Bundesliga from his time at RB Leipzig. Between 2021 and 2023, he played 87 competitive matches for the Saxons before Manchester City paid the reported transfer fee of around 90 million euros to bring the center-back to the Premier League. A return to Germany does not appear likely following the now-expected contract extension.
No immediate need for a central defender at this time
FC Bayern’s central defense is already well-stocked at the moment. With Dayot Upamecano, Jonathan Tah, Minjae Kim, and Hiroki Ito, the Munich club currently has several options available, both in terms of quality and quantity. The German record champions are likely to make a move for this position only if one of the existing players leaves the club.
Kim, in particular, is being touted as a possible departure candidate. At the same time, Bayern are reportedly set to finalize two high-profile transfers soon: left-back Nathaniel Brown is expected to move from Eintracht Frankfurt to Munich, and winger Ismael Saibari from PSV Eindhoven. This means the Gvardiol deal is off the table for now.