Manchester City have opened ‘concrete talks’ with Chelsea over a potential move for Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic, as Pep Guardiola looks to bolster his midfield options ahead of a bid to become the first side to ever win four Premier Leagues on the bounce.
The Cityzens had been expected to overhaul their midfield drastically this summer, with Ilkay Gundogan out of contract as things stand and yet to pen fresh terms at the Etihad.
However, they have been gazumped in their efforts to lure teenager Jude Bellingham to the club, with the English star now set to join Real Madrid in a deal worth well in excess of £100m.
As a result, they have been forced to look elsewhere, and have identified Kovacic as a potential option, with the Croatian down to the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge and the Blues likely to sell rather than risk losing him for free next summer amid financial fair play concerns and with plenty of transfer business of their own to conduct.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, ‘positive discussions took place with player’s camp in the last few days over personal terms’, while Chelsea are ‘open to selling’ the 29-year-old as they chase Sporting’s Manuel Ugarte.
Such a move could lend further weight to the potential departure of Gundogan, who is reportedly being chased by both Arsenal and Barcelona, though his future is unlikely to be decided before the end of the Manchester City season, which will culminate in the Champions League final clash with Inter Milan.
