Mateo Kovacic has described Chelsea as 'home' amid uncertainty over his future at Stamford Bridge and declared that he feels great in London and England. Speculation has increased over the Croatian's long term future in the capital, with Manchester City said to be interested.
The 28-year-old midfielder will have a single year remaining on his contract come the summer, having first joined the club on loan in 2018. There has been little in the way of progression over a new deal for Kovacic, despite the former Real Madrid man having featured 33 times this season.
Kovacic is one of a number of Blues players whose Chelsea tenures come to a close in the near future as Chelsea look to trim down their squad, with 31 players recognised as part of the first team group. The hierarchy also hope to avoid players having less than two years on their contract where possible.
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That leaves a number of difficult decisions to come, with Mason Mount's future also being of concern. Nevertheless, Kovacic has spoken highly of the club and his adopted home.
He told the official Chelsea website: "I am five years here already, time flies, and I have been at Chelsea the longest of all the clubs. I feel really, really at home. There is nothing to not love in London. My family enjoys it, which makes it easier for me. The food is okay, maybe not like Italy or Spain! But London is amazing.
"My son goes to nursery here in London, he enjoys it, the people are so nice. I can only say good things about London and England. We feel really great here.
"I had the luck to be in great countries, great cities, new cultures, meeting amazing people. I am blessed I could experience so many nice countries. I learned many lessons, but most of all just to respect all people. How they treated me I can just be thankful, and I tried to treat them the same way they treated me. Just be polite as much as I can, which is not always easy, but be myself.
"When I see where I have been it’s really amazing. I’m just thankful for the people I have met. It’s been a nice journey."
Competition will be rife in the centre of midfield next term with Enzo Fernandez having been signed in January and another central midfielder being among Chelsea's priorities for the summer. If N'Golo Kante extends his stay at Stamford Bridge - with his contract due to expire in June - the Croatian may be pushed for a place in the starting line-up.
Kovacic may be one of few non-homegrown players who the Blues can receive a fee for. Reports have suggested his representitives have already been in talks over a possible destination. The ex-Inter Milan ace's latest comments indicate that he may need to be prised away from an environment he enjoys.
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