Josko Gvardiol transfer could solve more than one problem for Man City

Manchester City's top target this summer is a centre-back, a position they are very well stocked in.

After signing Mateo Kovacic to at least fill the hole left behind by departed captain Ilkay Gundogan, City have now made Josko Gvardiol their top priority. RB Leipzig want £85m for the Croatian star plus additional performance-related payments.

City are not yet ready to meet that steep valuation but talks are advanced and all parties still expect a deal can be done. Signing Gvardiol is the Blues' biggest piece of business as Pep Guardiola looks to build upon a side that won a historic treble last season.

If so much is being spent on a centre-back then he isn't coming in to play second fiddle. Should Gvardiol arrive, he will almost certainly be slotted straight in to form what would be a formidable partnership with Ruben Dias.

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But where does that leave the rest of the centre-back pecking order? City currently have four senior central defenders on the books and most of them saw a healthy amount of minutes last season.

Only Aymeric Laporte grew frustrated with his lack of action and there is an expectation that the Spain international will leave the Etihad should Gvardiol rock up. Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have been heavily linked but no concrete offers have been registered as of yet. Given Laporte's immense quality and the two years remaining on his contract, City will likely be aiming to fetch a decent price for him.

Whether Laporte stays or remains, the fact is that should Gvardiol be signed then City's two centre-back positions will be taken. Thankfully for the others, Guardiola has grown a penchant for playing centre-backs across