Manchester City and Chelsea agree £25m deal for 29-year-old star

Chelsea have agreed a deal with Manchester City to sell Mateo Kovacic

As per the Guardian, Manchester City and Chelsea have agreed a £25m deal for Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic. The deal has £5m add-ons as well.

Kovacic was one of the pivotal figures in the Chelsea midfield since arriving at the club from Real Madrid four years ago, initially on loan.

The Croatian international entered the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge and if he doesn’t renew his deal, could leave as a free agent next year. Hence, it seems obvious that the Blues would want to offload him now before its too late.

The club are expected to undergo a squad overhaul under new boss Mauricio Pochettino. It is understandable given how bloated the squad was after signing innumerable amount of players in the last two transfer windows.

Kovacic would be a big miss for Chelsea in the middle of the park. His drive, energy, quality on and off the ball, passing accuracy and sheer will to win tough battles was important for the team.

Not many players possess quality and attitude like the 29-year-old. Hence, the Blues may find it hard to replace him in the squad in the summer window.

On the other side of the spectrum, it is good to see the club selling players to raise funds for key signings in the market. They are linked with a move for Brighton’s Moises Caicedo. The Ecuadorian will cost a lot and would be a great addition to the squad.

Bolstering the centre-forward department is important too. Although Chelsea are close to signing Villarreal’s Nicolas Jackson, they might have to do more to improve the chances of the team scoring frequently compared to the previous few seasons.

More Chelsea News

• Toni Kroos has slammed Chelsea legend Eden Hazard’s time at Real Madrid
• Fabrizio Romano reveals Al-Nassr have reached verbal agreement to sign Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech
• Christopher Nkunku is eager to make an impact at Chelsea

Lastly, we wish Kovacic all the best and hope he has a good time at Manchester City, except when he plays Chelsea. He is 29 and could have 3-4 years of elite-level football left in him.