Manchester City Agree £30m Deal To Sign Chelsea Midfielder, Mateo Kovacic

Manchester City is close to securing their first summer signing as they have agreed reached an agreement to sign Chelsea midfielder, Mateo Kovacic, for £30 million.

While the Croatian midfielder is yet to undergo a medical at the Man City Football Academy, talks between the two clubs have been finalized. The deal is understood to be worth an initial £25m guaranteed plus £5m in performance-related clauses.

Pep Guardiola has long been an admirer of Kovacic and sees him as a versatile addition to his midfield, capable of playing in various positions.

Kovacic’s arrival will provide valuable depth to City’s midfield ahead of the upcoming 2023-24 season. The club aims to maintain their dominance in the league.

The midfielder will undergo his medical at the Etihad once he returns from international duty with the Croatian national team, having recently competed in the UEFA Nations League final against Spain.

Personal terms were discussed between City and the midfielder before he joined the national team, and negotiations were concluded while he was away.

The departure from Stamford Bridge will bring an end to Kovacic’s five-year spell with Chelsea, having initially joined on loan from Real Madrid.

During his time with the Blues, Kovacic has added another Champions League trophy to his collection, making it four in total along with the Europa League title in 2019.

Having made 221 appearances for Chelsea, the 29-year-old has scored six goals and provided 15 assists.

However, he grew frustrated with the team’s disappointing 2022-23 Premier League campaign, finishing 12th and falling 27 points behind the fourth-place finish.

Kovacic labelled Chelsea’s disastrous season as ‘really bad’ while expressing his desire to leave the club despite having one year remaining on his contract.

He also praised Manchester City as a top team ahead of Croatia’s Nations League semi-final against the Netherlands, suggesting his interest in joining the Premier League giants.

Meanwhile, Chelsea Football Club has officially confirmed the signing of 25-year-old Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig.