Fabrizio Romano tells Man City they must smash Man Utd transfer record to sign ultimate Chelsea target loved by Guardiola

Manchester City could eclipse one of Manchester United’s biggest ever transfer fees this summer by signing a world-class star who is also wanted by Chelsea, according to Fabrizio Romano.

City have just capped off an incredible season by adding the Champions League trophy to their Premier League and FA Cup triumphs. They beat Inter 1-0 in the Champions League final in Istanbul to become only the second English team to win a treble of those three illustrious trophies, behind Sir Alex Ferguson’s Man Utd team of 1999.

Guardiola has now won Europe’s elite club competition three times, with his two previous victories coming with Barcelona in 2009 and 2011.

However, as City midfielder Rodri has warned, the Citizens will not stop there. They want to retain the Champions League trophy as well as continuing their dominance of the Premier League.

Reports have suggested Guardiola will stay on as City boss until the end of his contract, which runs until June 2025. As such, fans of the club can expect some huge transfers in the next two years as Guardiola aims to build on his already incredible legacy.

One player City would love to bring in is RB Leipzig centre-back Josko Gvardiol. Chelsea attempted to sign Gvardiol for around £77million last summer, but could not bring the 21-year-old to England.

READ MORE: Arsenal legend Wenger warns Man City how many players they ‘need to change’ to preserve treble glory

Chelsea remain interested in Gvardiol as they want him to reunite with Christopher Nkunku under Mauricio Pochettino. However, there is now the real prospect of Gvardiol heading to City instead.

During an interview with CaughtOffside, Romano explained how Gvardiol may become the world’s most expensive defender this summer.

Romano discusses huge potential Man City swoop

“More than €80m (£69m), the most expensive centre-back in the history of the game, this is the idea of RB Leipzig,” Romano revealed. “I’m not sure €80m or €85m (£73m) will be enough. Sources close to Leipzig believe it could be around €100m (£86m) to sign Gvardiol this summer.

“Leipzig know that they are probably going to lose many other players. Nkunku is going to Chelsea, let’s see what happens with [Dominik] Szoboszlai.

“For them, it is really important to make sure that Gvardiol only leaves for a big amount of money, otherwise, they are prepared to keep the player for one more season and sell him for a record fee in the summer of 2024.

“Man City will try, they will try for sure because they like the player, Guardiola likes the player so let’s see what kind of conversation they have.”

If Gvardiol does head to City, then it looks like he will break a Man Utd transfer record. Currently, the world’s most expensive defender is Harry Maguire, who headed to Old Trafford in an £80m deal four years ago. And it seems City will definitely have the money to make such a big move, as it is claimed their transfer budget this summer will be as high as £300m.

The Croatia international’s transfer will likely go far better than Maguire’s has. Gvardiol is regarded as one of the best young defenders in the world and is already a top performer for Leipzig, despite his tender age. This means he should adapt well at City and go on to reach his full potential, which is staggering.

Maguire, meanwhile, has always been a controversial figure at Man Utd, despite being their captain. And he is likely to depart the club this summer, with Tottenham, Newcastle and Aston Villa all keen.

Meanwhile, reports in Spain claim a crucial City star will decide his future on Tuesday [today], amid interest from a Prem rival and some major European teams.