Manchester City are reportedly close to signing Chelsea midfielder Mato Kovaic in a £25million deal.
According to Sportsmail, the Cityzens have submitted a bid for the Croatia international and all the parties are hopeful that the deal will be concluded before the end of the week.
Chelsea allowed City to speak to the 29-year-old and ascertain personal terms at the start of the month before he went on international duty.
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Kovacic’s departure will end his five-year spell at Stamford Bridge, having initially joined on loan from Real Madrid. The Croatian won the Europa League and Champions League during his time at Stamford Bridge.
He was also a key squad member and captained the side on some occasions. He made 221 appearances for the Blues during his time in London, scoring on six occasions and providing 15 assists.
Meanwhile, Manchester City intends to follow up the capture of Kovacic by signing highly-rated RB Leipzig centre-back Josko Gvardiol.
The defender, who is also Kovacic’s international teammate, is one of the most sought-after defenders in Europe and is attracting interest from Pep Guardiola, who wants to boost his defensive options this summer.
The Spanish coach will likely sanction the sale of central defender Ayemeric Laporte this summer and wants to replace the Spanish international with 21-year-old Gvardiol.
