Manchester City have announced the signing of Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic this summer, joining on a four-year deal with the club. It marks the end of a five-year stay for the Croatian international at Stamford Bridge, who spent one-year on-loan from Real Madrid before the permanent switch the year after.
In that time, the 29-year-old won four trophies, including a Champions League, Europa League, UEFA Super Cup and a Club World Cup. However, with just one-year left on his deal at Stamford Bridge and the requirement to make some changes to the squad itself, an exit seemed likely.
The midfield is an area of particular overhaul in the coming weeks, with N'Golo Kante already making the move to Saudi Arabia to join Al-Ittihad. Mason Mount is of particular interest to Manchester United with one-year remaining on his contract, while football.london understands a deal has been agreed to let Ruben Loftus-Cheek leave to join AC Milan.
There's also some clubs lining up for Conor Gallagher as football.london understands that Tottenham are monitoring a potential switch, with Brighton and Crystal Palace among teams also linked. While it remains to be seen how those deals pan out, the move for Kovacic is merely the latest domino to fall.
Discussing the move to City, he told the official website: "This is a brilliant move for me, and I cannot wait to get started with City. Anyone who has watched this team under Pep knows how good they are – for me, they are the best in the world.
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"The trophies they have won are clear for all to see, but they are also the best footballing side out there. To be joining this squad really is a dream for any footballer.
"I still have plenty of learning and developing to do, and I know under Pep’s management I can become a better player, which is really exciting for me. My plan now is to rest for a few weeks before coming back to Manchester to prepare for the new season. I want to help this club stay at the top and win more trophies.”
