Barcelona wanted Man City star Gvardiol as ideal two-position defender

Barcelona identified Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol as an ideal summer signing capable of solving two positions for Hansi Flick, but the Croatia international had no desire to leave the Etihad Stadium and ultimately committed his future to the Premier League club.

Barcelona explored several defensive options during the summer as they looked for a left-footed player comfortable operating both centrally and at full-back.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Gvardiol emerged as one of the names most admired by Flick and the club's sporting department.

The 24-year-old's ability to play as a centre-back or on the left of defence made him particularly attractive, effectively offering Barca a "two-in-one" solution without requiring separate additions in both positions.

There was, however, one fundamental problem with the plan: Gvardiol did not consider his Manchester City career finished.

Gvardiol had no interest in leaving Man City

Manchester City paid around €90m (£77.6m) to sign Gvardiol from RB Leipzig in 2023, and the Croatian subsequently established himself as an important member of their defence.

Barcelona reportedly sounded out the possibility of a deal during the summer but quickly encountered two significant obstacles.

City regarded Gvardiol as a key part of their future, while the player himself was happy in Manchester and showed no desire to pursue a move to Camp Nou.

His salary would also have made any operation expensive for Barcelona, particularly with City already working to improve the terms of his contract.

Gvardiol's position did not change following Pep Guardiola's departure and Enzo Maresca's arrival as head coach.

The defender publicly backed Maresca, describing the Italian as the "perfect guy" to take charge of City, and his longer-term intentions became definitive when he signed a new deal in July.

That agreement extended Gvardiol's contract until the summer of 2031, adding three years to a previous deal that had been due to expire in 2028.

Speaking after signing the extension, Gvardiol made clear that there had been little hesitation once City expressed a desire to keep him.

For Barcelona, that effectively ended any realistic prospect of pursuing a player who had matched the profile Flick wanted almost perfectly.

Barcelona ended window without Araujo replacement

Gvardiol was not the only centre-back considered by Barcelona during the summer.

The Catalan giants also explored other high-level options, including Inter Milan's Alessandro Bastoni, but eventually concentrated much of their spending elsewhere.

Anthony Gordon, Karim Adeyemi, Rodri, Gabriel Jesus, Jesse Bisiwu and Dominik Livakovic were among those added to Flick's squad, while Joao Cancelo also returned to the club permanently.

The defensive situation became more notable when Ronald Araujo left Barcelona to join Liverpool on loan.

The Uruguay international moved to Anfield in August, with Liverpool holding an option understood to be worth around £47m to make the deal permanent next summer.

Despite allowing Araujo to leave, Barcelona did not subsequently bring in another specialist centre-back before the window closed.

That does not mean Gvardiol's decision alone prevented Barcelona from strengthening the position, with other defensive targets considered after it became clear that a City deal would not progress.

It does, though, underline the specific type of defender Flick had been looking for.

Rather than simply adding another centre-back, Barcelona had identified a player capable of offering build-up quality, physical strength and genuine cover on the left.

Gvardiol fitted that description, but his own plans were already pointing in the opposite direction.

Barcelona wanted a defender who could solve two positions. City already had one - and Gvardiol decided he wanted to remain theirs.