Mateo Kovacic has been linked with a potential move from Chelsea to Manchester City in the summer as Pep Guardiola and his recruitment team look to make further squad improvements.
In January, when Chelsea welcomed the Premier League champions to Stamford Bridge, Guardiola was spotted making a beeline for Kovacic upon the final whistle. The 52-year-old was said to have made a special effort to talk to the Croatia international, with City having now reportedly launched a bid to sign him.
Guardiola has a history of speaking to opposition players, whether it be his fiery words of wisdom for Nathan Redmond or comfy chat with James Maddison. It appears Guardiola is a fan of the Blues midfielder, however, and Croatian journalist Haris Mrkonja says Kovacic's representatives are in London to talks to City about a potential move in the summer.
READ MORE: Jose Mourinho tipped for shock Chelsea move as Arsene Wenger wades in on Julian Nagelsmann talk
For my English speakers: Mateo Kovačić’s representatives are in London to talk to Man City about a transfer to the blue side of Manchester.#Kovacic #ManCity #Transfer #ChelseaFC #CFC https://t.co/vkLAVX9amC
— Haris Mrkonja N1 (@harismrkonjan1)
The Chelsea midfielder sees his contract at Stamford Bridge expire at the end of next season, and he's currently valued at £22.1million by the CIES Football Observatory. Ahead of Raheem Sterling's move to west London in the summer, he revealed that the Croatian always caught his eye.
"Mateo Kovacic, to be fair," said the England international when asked by BT Sport which Blues players has always impressed his most. "When we used to play him for Manchester City I used to think 'oh my good gosh,' I'm not going to lie.
"I always used to think 'oh my gosh.' I used to love playing with Mason [Mount] for England as well. He's just a little busy, always getting on the ball and stuff. But those two for sure. There was a few times Kova was doing some serious stuff against us."
With Kovacic attracting attention from City, Chelsea have been warned that the midfielder does not want to renew his deal. Speaking to Football Insider, Alan Hutton said: "This is the problems we are talking about, how do you pick a starting XI and keep everybody happy?
"Of course he is a fantastic footballer but if these guys are not going to get the minutes, they will not want to play. Why would you want to sign a new contract?
"Even the likes of N’Golo Kante just coming back, they are talking about giving him a new contract. They spent £107million on a midfielder to come in and play that role. Something has to give. Whether they offer new contracts or not, some massive decisions have to be made by Potter and the backroom staff."
READ NEXT:
Chelsea sent 'silly money' Mason Mount message as Liverpool's Jude Bellingham plan becomes clear
Nkunku's vital role, defensive dilemma - How Chelsea could line up under Mauricio Pochettino
16 Chelsea players may have played their last Champions League game under Todd Boehly
Julian Nagelsmann's bizarre Thomas Tuchel coincidence and what it could mean for Chelsea
Next Chelsea manager latest as Todd Boehly's Julian Nagelsmann stance revealed
