Manchester City (England), who won a triple treble in European soccer last season, are close to signing a big-name defender. Josko Gvardiol (21-Leipzig), who made a name for himself as the “Mask Man” at last year’s World Cup in Qatar.

“Manchester City have agreed a deal to sign Croatia international and Leipzig defender Gvardiol,” the BBC reported on Wednesday. The transfer fee will be in the neighborhood of €90 million ($125 million).

This is the second highest transfer fee for a defender in the EPL. The record is the £80 million Manchester United paid for Leicester City defender Harry Maguire in 2019.

“Gbadiol is expected to fly to England this weekend for a medical,” the BBC reported.

Born in 2002, Gvardiol is a 6-foot-2, strongly built defender who made an early mark with his solid defense. He can also play center back and left fullback.

He made his professional debut in 2019 with Dinamo Zagreb in his home league, before moving to Leipzig in 2020 and establishing himself as a first-choice defender.

He captured the attention of soccer fans around the world with his gritty play at last year’s World Cup in Qatar, where he played through a broken nose and wearing a mask. He helped Croatia reach the World Cup quarterfinals. He also helped Croatia to a runner-up finish in this year’s UEFA Nations League.

After being pursued by a number of big clubs, 스포츠토토 Gvardiol eventually chose to wear the colors of one of Europe’s most dominant clubs.