Man Utd incredibly ‘sabotage’ Man City transfer by submitting rival offer, as Liverpool and Chelsea also intensify interest

Manchester City could miss out on a world-class signing after a report detailed rival bids from Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.

City have signed just one player so far this summer, with midfielder Mateo Kovacic arriving from Chelsea in a £25million deal. The 29-year-old will replace Ilkay Gundogan following his move to Barcelona on a free transfer.

City have been linked with Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise, who is viewed as an ideal replacement for Riyad Mahrez. Algeria international Mahrez has signed for Saudi club Al Ahli, in a move which will see him play alongside the likes of Allan Saint-Maximin and Roberto Firmino.

But Pep Guardiola’s side could miss out on Olise as Palace are ready to offer him a lucrative new contract. And Olise is not the only star City might have to deal without, with their push for Josko Gvardiol also coming under threat.

City have agreed personal terms with the centre-back and have held several rounds of discussions with his club, RB Leipzig, to try and finalise a big-money deal. The transfer even got Fabrizio Romano’s ‘here we go’ seal of approval at one point, although it seems the journalist may have been jumping the gun slightly.

As per recent reports from Germany, City have gotten close to Leipzig’s €100m (£85.7m) asking price but have not yet been able to strike a full agreement. And now, City will face competition from three English rivals for Gvardiol.

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According to Goal’s live transfer blog (31/07 at 08:30), which cites reports emerging from Spain, Man Utd have launched a bid of their own as they look to ‘sabotage’ Gvardiol’s move to the Etihad.

And Man Utd are not alone in attempting to ruin the transfer, with Liverpool and Chelsea also stepping up their interest by making offers.

Man Utd, Liverpool and Chelsea all move for Josko Gvardiol

The report does not state exactly how much Man Utd, Liverpool and Chelsea have bid, but they will need to put close to £85.7m on the table to get the green light from Leipzig. The Bundesliga side have always insisted that Gvardiol will only move on for a world-record fee for a defender this summer – the feat is currently held by Harry Maguire (£80m).

It must be noted that City are still labelled frontrunners for the 21-year-old, who plays with Kovacic for the Croatia national team. However, City’s lead could quickly vanish if one of their Prem competitors agree a fee with Leipzig.

This is not the first time Liverpool or Chelsea have been backed to sign Gvardiol. Jurgen Klopp had decided on Gvardiol as his ultimate centre-back signing this summer, only to see City charge ahead and get close to landing him. But the Reds have now burst back into the race in a huge twist.

Chelsea, meanwhile, submitted an offer for Gvardiol towards the end of the 2022 summer transfer window, only to have it rejected by Leipzig. They will be hoping things go much better this time around.

For Man Utd, this appears to be a new link. Perhaps the Red Devils have decided on Gvardiol as a top-class alternative to Kim Min-jae, whom they tried to sign before his switch to Bayern.

Meanwhile, Christian Eriksen has given his verdict on a new arrival at Man Utd, labelling him a ‘very good player’.