Manchester City and Chelsea have opened talks over the transfer of Mateo Kovacic who looks set to depart Stamford Bridge this summer. The Blues will allow the Croatian international to leave since he only has a year left on his current deal and they need to reduce their overloaded roster.
As a result, Chelsea has given City the go-ahead to speak with Kovacic to reach an agreement on personal terms. However, the 29-year-old is anticipated to join the Premier League winners at the Etihad when the two teams agree on a transfer fee.
Manchester City hold ‘concrete talks’ with Chelsea for Kovacic
While Kovacic’s predicament in west London has drawn the attention of other clubs, he is reportedly eager for a fresh challenge and in particular the chance to work with Pep Guardiola. The former Real Madrid and Inter Milan midfielder has also long been admired by the City manager.
With 221 appearances for Chelsea since his original loan from Madrid, Kovacic has been an increasingly important player in recent years. During his tenure with the team, Kovacic has won the Champions League, Europa League, Club World Cup, and UEFA Super Cup. However, it looks that the veteran ace will not be included in Mauricio Pochettino’s future plans.
Joao Felix and Denis Zakaria, who were on loan, have already been shown the door by the Argentine manager. The Blues’ priority job for the summer will be to cut down their bloated squad as per the instructions of their new boss, and Manchester City were hence observing the Croat’s situation from close. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano took it to Twitter to reveal the latest developments of a potential deal as he claimed:
“Manchester City have opened concrete talks to sign Mateo Kovacic in the summer. Positive discussions took place with player’s camp in the last few days over personal terms. Chelsea, open to selling Kovacic as part of midfield revolution. Talks will continue soon.”
https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1663950551371882497?s=20
While Kovacic is also on Manchester United’s radar, Bayern Munich have also expressed tentative interest in him. He is eager to work with Guardiola, though, and a deal is anticipated in the coming weeks. City have been looking for midfield options after Jude Bellingham has made his decision to sign for Real Madrid.
Manchester City have also proposed a new contract to team captain Ilkay Gundogan, but they are aware that he is also considering offers from Barcelona and Arsenal. Furthermore, City’s urge to sign Kovacic can also be justified by the Catalan club’s interest in bringing Bernardo Silva to Spain alongside Gundogan.
The Premier League champions will evaluate their roster over the upcoming days and weeks, with some departures anticipated. Kovacic, who has been mentioned as one of the top prospects to leave Chelsea under Pochettino, is expected to join them as they invest again to bolster their squad, while Guardiola would also prefer to bolster his defence with Josko Gvardiol of Red Bull Leipzig.