Pep Guardiola is hoping Manchester City complete the signing of defender Josko Gvardiol within the next few “hours or days”.
The 21-year-old Gvardiol was undergoing a medical with City on Friday afternoon ahead of his proposed move from RB Leipzig.
The treble-winners are closing in on a deal for the Croatia international and are understood to have agreed a fee of 90million euros (£77.6m) with Leipzig.
Speaking at a pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s Community Shield clash with Arsenal at Wembley, City boss Guardiola said: “Regarding Gvardiol – what a beautiful surname he has – he’s doing a medical test.
“Everybody knows he’s here, and hopefully we can finish the deal in the next hours, the next days.”
Put to Guardiola that completion of the deal would give him six central defenders, he said: “The season is so long, there is many, many games. (It is) absolutely not (too many).”
When asked if, after Gvardiol, City would be done in the transfer marker, Guardiola said: “I don’t know. I think it is going to move, something. Not yet.”
City have already this summer signed Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea, while outgoings have been fellow midfielder Ilkay Gundogan going to Barcelona at the end of his contract and forward Riyad Mahrez joining Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ahli.
Kyle Walker has been linked with Bayern Munich and Bernardo Silva with Barcelona and Saudi Arabia, and Guardiola said: “They are so important players for us. We want them, we are going to do everything.
“It’s not like Gundo, finishing a contract – they have a contract. We want them to stay because they want to stay, and to replace these two players is so, so difficult.
“We lost two incredible players for us, Ilkay and Riyad in the last seasons were massively important, incredible goals and assists and personalities in the biggest stages and big important games. To lose Kyle and Bernardo would be so difficult.”
He added, when asked more about Silva: “I want to work with guys who want to stay…but after that we have to get an offer…a proper offer.
“If they want him, they will take a plane, come here and talk with our sporting director, the CEO, to arrive at an agreement.
“For us to buy a player is £10-15m more expensive than other clubs, all the time it’s like that. And the same guys, when they want our players, really important players, first they have to make an offer – and it didn’t happen.
“Some players feel they want a new experience. I will not be the guy to say ‘no’, but you have to take an agreement with an important part of the club, the business, (to) make a deal happen.
“In the case of Bernardo and Kyle, we talk many times over the last months and even years how important they are for us, how we want them and we will continue to do it until the end.
“What is going to happen I don’t know but it is not going to happen if both clubs don’t arrive.
“They are massively important players. When we lose these type of players we have to go to the market to buy replacements, and it doesn’t cost £10m, £20m, £30m, £40m, £50m – it’s more expensive than that.”
Last month City ended their interest in signing Declan Rice from West Ham after Arsenal bid £105m for the England midfielder, who subsequently made a British-record switch to the Gunners.
Asked if he had been disappointed to miss out on Rice, Guardiola said: “Absolutely not. Declan Rice decided to go to Arsenal, the offer was incredible, and all the best. I think for England he is and will be important, and Arsenal bought an incredible player.”
Meanwhile, Juanma Lillo has returned to City’s coaching staff. The 57-year-old Spaniard was previously on Guardiola’s backroom team for two seasons from the summer of 2020 before departing to become head coach at Qatari outfit Al Sadd.
Bosnia-Herzegovina 1-1 Netherlands: Koeman's side wrap up group stage campaign with away draw
Netherlands ended their Group A3 campaign in the Nations League with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina at Stadion Bilino Polje on Tuesday.
Ronald Koeman's side, who had already secured their place in the quarter-final heading into the final group fixture, finished with nine points - five fewer than group winners Germany.
Brian Brobbey gave a second-string Oranje the breakthrough in the 24th minute when he headed home a cross from Noa Lang following a short corner kick.
But Ermedin Demirovic scored on the rebound, after Edin Dzeko's initial effort was stopped by goalkeeper Mark Flekken, to help Bosnia salvage a point in the 67th minute, as the hosts finished bottom of the group with two points.
Earlier, Dzeko's shot was cleared off the line by Jorrel Hato in the first half and the Bosnia captain also had a goal ruled out for a foul in the build-up just past the hour mark, before Sergej Barbarez's side found the leveller.
Data Debrief: Bosnia's spirited comeback
The home side ended the first period without registering a single shot on target and only creating an expected goals (xG) of 0.54, compared to the Netherlands' xG of 1.29.
But they were a much-improved side after the break as they restricted the visitors to zero shots on target while recording three of their own to secure a point. They ended the second half with an xG of 0.46, which bettered the Netherlands' xG of 0.37 despite being lower than their first-half effort.
Prior to this fixture, Bosnia and Herzegovina had lost all four of their 2024-25 Nations League matches in which they were losing at half-time. But they fought back this time to end their League A stay with a draw.
Hungary 1-1 Germany: Late penalty forces visitors to settle for a draw
Germany were denied victory away to Hungary in their final Nations League group game after conceding a 99th-minute equaliser to a Dominik Szoboszlai penalty.
Julian Nagelsmann made nine changes from Germany's 7-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina last time out, with this match confirmed as a dead rubber before kick-off, and they struggled for fluency in the first half.
Germany failed to have a shot on target in the opening 45 minutes and lost the xG battle 0.51-0.17.
Things soon picked up, with Leroy Sane having a goal disallowed following a VAR review before Kai Havertz hit the post with a volley just three minutes later, having only come on as a substitute a minute before. They had their goal after 76 minutes when Felix Nmecha was quickest to react to a rebound to score his first international goal.
But Hungary were not to be denied after appeals for a penalty in the 97th minute for an alleged handball against Robin Koch. Following a VAR review, the spot kick was given and Szoboszlai earned a point for the hosts.
Germany's position as winners of Group A3 had already been secured prior to this match, as had Hungary's finishing place of third. Nagelsmann's side will now advance to the Nations League quarter-final, where they will face a second-placed side from League A. Hungary, meanwhile, will face a second-placed side from League B in a relegation play-off.
Data debrief: Germany keep scoring streak going
Germany extended their run of scoring in Nations League matches to seven consecutive games with their 1-1 draw in Budapest.
Nagelsmann's side conclude their group campaign with 18 goals in six matches, helped by their 7-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina last time out.
Following their draw today, Germany have now scored in 12 straight matches, including friendlies.
Bahrain 2-2 Australia: Yengi rescues point for visitors with stoppage-time equaliser
Kusini Yengi was the hero for Australia after scoring in the first minute and the 97th to help salvage a 2-2 draw away to Bahrain in their World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.
The result extended manager Tony Popovic's unbeaten start with the Socceroos to four matches, although three of those have been draws.
Things got off to a great start for the visitors, going a goal up inside 40 seconds after Portsmouth forward Kusini Yengi nipped in to intercept an underhit back pass from Sayid Mahdi Baqer and find the net.
Yengi had the next moment of note after hitting the post on 61 minutes from a Riley McGree cross, before a poor touch let him down when well-placed three minutes later.
Australia were made to pay for not killing the game, when Mahdi Abduljabbar lobbed Mat Ryan from 45 yards to get Bahrain level in the 75th minute. It went from bad to worse two minutes later, when Abduljabbar got his second following a defensive mix-up between Ryan and Hayden Matthews.
But Yengi rescued his side deep into stoppage time, reacting quickest to bury a ricocheting ball in the six-yard box. The result was Australia's fourth draw in six matches and leaves them second in Group C on seven points, with teams from third to sixth – including fifth-placed Bahrain – all on six.
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