Chelsea‘s transfer ban, which will not allow them to sign any new players for the next two transfer windows, has put their plans in disarray, which was further aggravated by the departure of Maurizio Sarri.
The Blues, however, can possibly sign – or, technically, keep hold of a player – with the signature of Mateo Kovacic, who was on loan at the club from Real Madrid in the 2018-19 season.
A recent report by Goal has stated that the Blues could keep hold of the Croatian midfielder as they can extend the loan deal to another year or sign him on a permanent deal as they still have his registration thanks to his loan spell at the club.
However, Chelsea will have to make their decision quickly as they have just under a week to sign him once again as the London club have to confirm the deal by July 1st.
Kovacic had signed with Real Madrid in 2015 from Inter Milan for a fee of €29 million, and his contract at the Spanish club expires in two years.
The Croat is one of the several players that manager Zinedine Zidane wants to get rid of, following several big-name arrivals this summer.
Should Kovacic be given another chance at Chelsea?
In the 2018-19 season, Kovacic made 51 appearances for the Blues, starting a majority of the matches. He didn’t quite have the impact that Chelsea fans would have expected from him, but he was a steady figure in midfield.
Kovacic managed just two assists in the entire season, but had a high passing percentage, completing 92% of all passes in the Premier League for Chelsea, while averaging 46 passes a game.
Chelsea currently have N’Golo Kanté, Ross Barkley, Jorginho, and Danny Drinkwater as options in midfield.
Drinkwater didn’t play a single game in the 2018-19 season, while there have been reports that Jorginho may leave the club, which means that the Blues may have to use players from the academy, or re-sign loan players like Kovacic, who were a part of the club last season.
The Blues should perhaps sign Kovacic on a loan deal for another year and see how he performs before they sign him on a permanent deal next season.