Barcelona wanted Man City star Gvardiol as ideal two-position defender

Barcelona identified Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol arsenic an perfect summertime signing susceptible of solving 2 positions for Hansi Flick, but the Croatia planetary had nary tendency to permission the Etihad Stadium and yet committed his aboriginal to the Premier League club.

Barcelona explored respective antiaircraft options during the summertime arsenic they looked for a left-footed subordinate comfy operating some centrally and astatine full-back.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Gvardiol emerged arsenic 1 of the names astir admired by Flick and the club's sporting department.

The 24-year-old's quality to play arsenic a centre-back oregon connected the near of defence made him peculiarly attractive, efficaciously offering Barca a "two-in-one" solution without requiring abstracted additions successful some positions.

There was, however, 1 cardinal occupation with the plan: Gvardiol did not see his Manchester City vocation finished.

Gvardiol had nary involvement successful leaving Man City

Manchester City paid astir €90m (£77.6m) to motion Gvardiol from RB Leipzig successful 2023, and the Croatian subsequently established himself arsenic an important subordinate of their defence.

Barcelona reportedly sounded retired the anticipation of a woody during the summertime but rapidly encountered 2 important obstacles.

City regarded Gvardiol arsenic a cardinal portion of their future, portion the subordinate himself was blessed successful Manchester and showed nary tendency to prosecute a determination to Camp Nou.

His wage would besides person made immoderate cognition costly for Barcelona, peculiarly with City already moving to amended the presumption of his contract.

Gvardiol's presumption did not alteration pursuing Pep Guardiola's departure and Enzo Maresca's accomplishment arsenic caput coach.

The defender publically backed Maresca, describing the Italian arsenic the "perfect guy" to instrumentality complaint of City, and his longer-term intentions became definitive erstwhile helium signed a caller woody successful July.

That statement extended Gvardiol's declaration until the summertime of 2031, adding 3 years to a erstwhile woody that had been owed to expire successful 2028.

Speaking aft signing the extension, Gvardiol made wide that determination had been small hesitation erstwhile City expressed a tendency to support him.

For Barcelona, that efficaciously ended immoderate realistic imaginable of pursuing a subordinate who had matched the illustration Flick wanted astir perfectly.

Barcelona ended model without Araujo replacement

Gvardiol was not the lone centre-back considered by Barcelona during the summer.

The Catalan giants besides explored different high-level options, including Inter Milan's Alessandro Bastoni, but yet concentrated overmuch of their spending elsewhere.

Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi, Rodri, Gabriel Jesus, Jesse Bisiwu and Dominik Livakovic were among those added to Flick's squad, portion Joao Cancelo besides returned to the nine permanently.

The antiaircraft concern became much notable erstwhile Ronald Araujo near Barcelona to articulation Liverpool connected loan.

The Uruguay planetary moved to Anfield successful August, with Liverpool holding an enactment understood to beryllium worthy astir £47m to marque the woody imperishable adjacent summer.

Despite allowing Araujo to leave, Barcelona did not subsequently bring successful different specializer centre-back earlier the model closed.

That does not mean Gvardiol's determination unsocial prevented Barcelona from strengthening the position, with different antiaircraft targets considered aft it became wide that a City woody would not progress.

It does, though, underline the circumstantial benignant of defender Flick had been looking for.

Rather than simply adding different centre-back, Barcelona had identified a subordinate susceptible of offering build-up quality, carnal spot and genuine screen connected the left.

Gvardiol fitted that description, but his ain plans were already pointing successful the other direction.

Barcelona wanted a defender who could lick 2 positions. City already had 1 - and Gvardiol decided helium wanted to stay theirs.