Manchester City and Chelsea have agreed on a deal worth up to £30 million, and Mateo Kovacic is almost ready to join the club.
The 29-year-old midfielder from Croatia is expected to sign a £25 million deal with the Premier League champions, with a $5 million option for add-ons.
As they try to pare down their enormous team for new boss Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea is still selling players.
N’Golo Kante, a fellow midfielder, is also about to leave the team after deciding to join Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.
2019 saw Mateo Kovacic transfer from Real Madrid to Chelsea, initially on loan before agreeing to a five-year deal.
EXCL: Mateo Kovacić joins Manchester City from Chelsea, fee agreed and done deal — here we go! 🚨🔵 #MCFC
Agreement between clubs just reached for £30m fee.
Personal terms agreed two weeks ago, Kovacić only wanted Man City.
Medicals in the next days.
New midfielder for Pep 🇭🇷 pic.twitter.com/cXU7ZDSKMf
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 21, 2023
Ilkay Gundogan’s future at Manchester City will be further questioned by Kovacic’s arrival given that his contract is soon to expire.
During Chelsea’s tumultuous season in which they went through three managers before finishing 12th in the Premier League, Kovacic made 37 appearances across all competitions.
He was a member of the Chelsea team that defeated City 1-0 in the Champions League final in 2021 and entered the game as a late substitute.
Kovacic has played every game in 95 appearances for Croatia at the international level, helping them finish third in the 2022 World Cup.
