Barcelona Dreaming of Josko Gvardiol Signing Amid Manchester City Financial Charges Proceedings

Barcelona Dreaming of Josko Gvardiol Signing Amid Manchester City Financial Charges Proceedings Barcelona are not giving up on their dream of signing Josko Gvardiol from Barcelona. More Videos The left-sided defennder signed a new contract at the Etihad Stadium in July, with the extension running until 2031 and ending a prolonged period of interest from both Barcelona and Real Madrid during the summer window. Gvardiol picked up an injury in January that kept him out of action until May, before he recovered in time to feature at the summer's FIFA World Cup, where he made four appearances for Croatia. The 24-year-old was one of five Manchester City players given three days off after the recent 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa , before starting Saturday's 1-0 Premier League loss to Brighton and Hove Albion at the Etihad Stadium. As reported by Mundo Deportivo and relayed by Sport Witness , the Croatia international features on the front page of the Catalan newspaper's print edition, with the caption describing him as Barcelona's "dream signing" ahead of the January window. The report also lists Inter Milan's Alessandro Bastoni, Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez and Real Betis' Natan as alternative targets, with Gvardiol identified as the preferred option because he can also operate at left-back. However, Barcelona's pursuit of Gvardiol will not be straightforward because of the five-year Manchester City contract Gvardiol signed in July, which ended a summer in which Barcelona and Real Madrid had both looked at the possibility of signing the Croatia international from the Etihad Stadium. The 24-year-old has become a regular under Enzo Maresca this season, with his 12 appearances across all competitions including starts in the UEFA Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain  and the 5-1 win over AEK Athens six days later. It has been added that the only realistic scenario for Barcelona to sign Gvardiol in January would be if Manchester City face severe sanctions over the independent commission's guilty verdict on 114 of 115 charges relating to breaches of the Premier League's financial rules. City declared their innocence in the aftermath of the ruling on 29 September, and the club lodged a comprehensive appeal at 7pm on 1 October, with the sanctions phase of the case yet to begin. Even if Manchester City were to face severe sanctions, the newspaper adds that it is not certain the club would allow Gvardiol to leave, with his position as a regular in Maresca's side making it almost impossible for Barcelona to prise him away from the Etihad Stadium.