Man City agree deal to sign Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic for £25 million with £5 million in bonuses… and his medical set will take place soon
Manchester City are poised to land their first reinforcement of the summer after agreeing a £25 million fee with Chelsea for Mateo Kovacic.
The Croat is still due to undergo a medical at City Football Academy, but the two clubs have finalized talks on a move that will include £5 million in additional performance-based clauses.
Pep Guardiola has long been an admirer of Kovacic – City first looked at him in 2019 – and believes he can play anywhere in his midfield.
Question marks remain over the futures of Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva, as Kalvin Phillips insists on proving himself at the Etihad Stadium, as reported by Mail Sport last month.
Therefore, ahead of the 2023-24 season, Kovacic will add depth to City’s midfield line and help Guardiola’s side maintain their league dominance.
Manchester City have reached an agreement with Chelsea to sign Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic
Kovacic will undergo his medical at the Etihad once he returns from international duty with Zlatko Dalic’s side – having lost the UEFA Nations League final in Spain.
Pep Guardiola’s side discussed personal terms with the midfielder before joining the Croatian national team and finalizing talks in his absence.
Kovacic’s departure brings an abrupt end to his five-year spell at Stamford Bridge after initially joining Real Madrid on loan.
During his time at the club, Kovacic has added a fourth Champions League trophy to the three he won in Madrid, as well as the Europa League in 2019.
The 29-year-old made 221 appearances for the Premier League giants, scoring six times and providing 15 assists.
However, Kovacic grew frustrated with the situation under Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and interim manager Frank Lampard.
The Blues finished the 2022-2023 Premier League season in 12th place, a whopping 27 points short of fourth.
Kovacic branded Chelsea’s disastrous campaign “really bad” and made clear his desire to leave the club – despite having a year left.
Kovacic also took the opportunity to praise Manchester City ahead of Croatia’s Nations League semi-final against the Netherlands.
He said Guardiola’s Treble chasers are a ‘top team’ and hinted he would be interested in joining the Premier League giants.
Meanwhile, Guardiola is eager to sign a new midfielder as players like Gundogan have been waiting for his contract extension for some time.
More to follow…