Manchester City have opened talks to sign Chelsea star Mateo Kovacic this summer. The Blues are set to move on a number of senior players with the Croatian entering the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge.
Kovacic returned from injury in the final game of the Premier League season as Frank Lampard ended his spell as caretaker boss with a 1-1 draw against Newcastle. The 29-year-old has endured a number of injury problems this season and now looks set to have made his last appearances for the Blues.
Kovacic is currently valued at £22.1million by the CIES Football Observatory, though it is unclear what Chelsea's asking price is for the former Real Madrid midfielder. The Croatia international has enjoyed a successful five-year spell at Stamford Bridge, winning the Champions League, Europa League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA CLub World Cup.
READ MORE: Pep Guardiola has already spoken to Mateo Kovacic as Man City launch £22m Chelsea transfer
According to Fabrizio Romano, positive discussions have taken place with player’s camp in the last few days over personal terms. The transfer guru added that Chelsea are open to selling Kovacic as part of their midfield revolution with talks set to continue soon.
The news comes after incoming manager Mauricio Pochettino had identified Sporting CP star Manuel Ugarte as a key target this summer. The Blues are currently pursuing a £52million deal to sign the 22-year-old but have hit a stumbling block over wages - with Paris Saint-Germain rivaling the west London outfit for his signing and offering significantly higher wages.
City captain Ilkay Gundogan's contract at the Etihad Stadium expires at the end of June with reports linking him with a switch to Barcelona. Pep Guardiola has now identified Kovacic as a potential replacement for Gundogan as Chelsea prepare to thrash out a deal that suits them to allow the Croatian midfielder to leave the club ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
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