Barcelona asked about Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol last season, but the Croatia international made it clear he had no desire to leave the club, according to a BBC report citing Mundo Deportivo.
The contact was an enquiry rather than a formal bid, and there is no information to suggest that negotiations became active. No transfer fee, agreement or current discussions have been established.
Gvardiol’s reluctance to move is the clearest outcome of Barcelona’s approach. The report does not say what the Catalan club asked Manchester City, whether it submitted an offer or how the Premier League club responded beyond the player’s stated preference to remain at City.
It also does not identify the role Barcelona may have considered for him. Gvardiol is capable of playing as a centre-back or left-back, but there is no indication whether Barcelona viewed him as an option in one position or across both.
As a result, the enquiry does not provide evidence of an imminent transfer. There is no suggestion that Manchester City set a price, rejected a formal proposal or made a release clause relevant. The BBC account also contains no report of interest from a competing club.
Barcelona’s defensive planning
For Barcelona, the approach appears to have been part of the club’s wider consideration of how to strengthen its defence, rather than confirmation that Gvardiol had become an active transfer priority.
The club’s previous transfer window offers context for its recruitment planning, but the report does not directly link that business with a renewed attempt to sign the Manchester City defender. Nor does it confirm that Barcelona have contacted City again since the enquiry reported by Mundo Deportivo.
There is likewise no indication that Gvardiol has changed his position. Until either a fresh approach or a change in the player’s stance is established, the story remains one of past interest from Barcelona being met by a clear wish from Gvardiol to stay at Manchester City, rather than an active transfer pursuit.
