Revealed: How Barcelona failed in their surprise pursuit of Man City star Josko Gvardiol with Serie A alternative identified

Towards the end of 2025, Barcelona’s sporting department formally explored a move for the 24-year-old Croatian, according to Mundo Deportivo. Flick was actively searching for versatile reinforcements, and Gvardiol perfectly fit the tactical mould. The Catalan giants admired his physical dominance, his ability to defend open space, and his supreme composure when bringing the ball out from the back. Crucially, his ability to seamlessly transition between centre-back and left-back would have provided immense flexibility to the Blaugrana system.

However, their initial approach was immediately met with a brick wall. Gvardiol possessed absolutely no desire to abandon the Premier League. Meanwhile, Manchester City made it explicitly clear that they would not facilitate a transfer under any circumstances, viewing the player as a core piece of their project.