Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic is close to agreeing personal terms with Manchester City ahead of a summer transfer, Fabrizio Romano has revealed.
What's the latest on Mateo Kovacic?
The 29-year-old has one year left on his contract at Stamford Bridge, and the potential arrival of Manuel Ugarte, following the January signing of Enzo Fernandez, means that he has become a more expendable asset at Chelsea.
Man City first registered their interest earlier this season, and it seems that a deal to bring the Croatia international to the Etihad Stadium is progressing well.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano revealed that the midfielder and City are close to an agreement on personal terms.
"The agreement between Mateo Kovacic and Manchester City over personal terms is really close," he stated.
"More will follow in the next days, Chelsea and Man City will speak so I will keep you posted. The deal is advanced, the agreement is close between the player and Man City, waiting on the two clubs but nothing will happen today."
Should Chelsea sell Kovacic?
With one year remaining on his deal, and Chelsea need to sell players to comply with financial fair play, Kovacic is a player who may have to be sacrificed regardless of whether incoming manager Mauricio Pochettino would like to keep him.
The £100k-per-week star made 37 appearances across all competitions this season, but drew criticism from Chelsea fans for some of his performances as the Blues suffered a disastrous campaign, finishing in the bottom half of the table.
City moving for Kovacic could be an indication that midfielder Ilkay Gundogan is set to depart, and they will be landing a vastly experienced player who has won multiple Champions League titles with Real Madrid and Chelsea.
Kovacic has made 221 appearances for Chelsea since joining in 2018, and could still be a useful asset under Pochettino alongside Ugarte and Fernandez, but if there is no sign of a new contract, then a sale this summer is the best possible outcome.
The Croatian ranks in the top ninth percentile of midfielders for progressive passes as per FBref, having also attempted on average 70 passes per game.
Failing to qualify for Europe means that Chelsea need to desperately trim their squad, and given their focus on younger players in the market, selling the 29-year-old suits all parties involved, as Kovacic will be able to play in the Champions League under Pep Guardiola.