Manchester City has reportedly reached an agreement with Chelsea for the acquisition of midfielder Mateo Kovacic for a whopping £30 million ($38 million) in a breaking transfer development on Wednesday.
The reigning treble champions will pay an initial fee of £25 million to secure the services of the highly talented 29-year-old Croatian international. An additional £5 million is expected to follow as potential add-ons.
Kovacic, who initially joined Chelsea on loan from Real Madrid in 2018 before making the move permanent, finds himself in the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge.
His impending arrival at Manchester City will mark the club’s first signing of the summer transfer window, providing manager Pep Guardiola with increased options in midfield amidst uncertainty surrounding the future of captain Ilkay Gundogan.
With Gundogan’s contract set to expire at the end of this month and no new terms agreed upon as of yet, Kovacic’s arrival will offer valuable reinforcements to the squad.
Having enjoyed an illustrious career, which includes three Champions League triumphs with Real Madrid and one with Chelsea, Kovacic is expected to be one of several departures from Chelsea as newly appointed manager Mauricio Pochettino streamlines the squad.
In another notable development, Chelsea bid farewell to French midfielder N’Golo Kante earlier on Wednesday, as he embarks on a new chapter with Saudi club Al Ittihad.
