Mateo Kovacic has revealed that he is likely to leave Chelsea this summer as Manchester City chase his signature.
The Croatian midfielder has been identified as a target of Pep Guardiola as he attempts to refresh the centre of the park at the Etihad Stadium. Captain Ilkay Gundogan is yet to put pen to paper on a new contract despite his late-season heroics.
Meanwhile, Bernardo Silva continues to be linked with a move away from Manchester. It has been claimed that Kovacic has already agreed personal terms with the reigning Premier League champions and he has now hinted that a move could go through sooner rather than later.
Speaking to Nacional, the 29-year-old said: “I have one year left on my contract with Chelsea. It's been a really bad season.
“Everything indicates that after five years I will change the environment, but we will see what happens.”
Whilst there is work still to be done on a move to the Etihad Stadium, Kovacic has already spoken out about his potential future employers. City take on the midfielder’s former side Inter Milan in the Champions League final on Saturday evening.
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Kovacic added: “Manchester City is a top team and deserves to be in the Champions League final. That's what I have to say. The summer is long, we'll see what happens in the future.”
Should he move, Kovacic will bring a five-year spell with Chelsea to an end. He initially arrived in west London on loan from Real Madrid in 2018 before the move was made permanent.
He has gone on to accumulate 221 appearances for the Blues and has Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Supercup winners’ medals to his name. Kovacic might not be the only midfielder to leave Chelsea for a Premier League rival this summer in what is expected to be a big clearout at Stamford Bridge.
Academy graduate Mason Mount has been linked with a big-money move to Manchester United, whilst Ruben Loftus-Cheek is also the subject of interest from Italian giants AC Milan. Elsewhere, N’Golo Kante is already on the verge of quitting the club.
He has received a lucrative offer to join Saudi outfit Al-Ittihad at the end of his contract, with a move expected to go through. He will join compatriot Karim Benzema in the Gulf state after he departed Real Madrid earlier this week.
Chelsea star Kai Havertz was thought to be in the Spanish club’s thinking as a potential replacement but their interest appears to have cooled over recent days. The German has just two years left to run on his current Blues deal.
