Croatia midfielder Mateo Kovacic is reportedly set to complete a £30 million move to Manchester City from Chelsea.
According to reputed Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Manchester City have agreed to pay Chelsea £25m upfront for Mateo Kovacic and an extra £5m in add-ons, with the central midfielder already undergoing a medical on Friday according to the Manchester Evening News.
Mateo Kovacic, 29, had made no secret of his desire to join Pep Guardiola’s forces behind the scenes, and agreed personal terms with Man City at the start of June.
His arrival in England was courtesy of Chelsea, whom he joined from Real Madrid in 2019, and went on to help the club win four trophies – including the Champions League. Kovacic recorded six goals and 15 assists across 221 appearances for the Blues, but largely underperformed last season.
The Croatian international is one of several first-team players leaving Chelsea this summer, as new manager Mauricio Pochettino seeks to trim the bloated squad that finished a hugely disappointing 12th in the Premier League last season.
Ahead of a potential deal, let us take a look at how Kovacic could fit into City’s line-up next season.
How will Manchester City line up with Mateo Kovacic?
As Mateo Kovacic has shown in the past for both club and country, his versatility makes him an attractive option. That means he will be able to fit into a number of positions at Man City.
With Ilkay Gundogan closing in on a move to Barcelona on a free transfer, Kovacic could take his spot in the team. In Pep Guardiola’s new formation 3-2-4-1, he could start alongside Kevin de Bruyne in advanced midfield roles with Rodri and John Stones screening the defence. That would certainly be a tantalising prospect for City to enter the 2023-24 season, especially with Erling Haaland leading the attack.
Kyle Walker or Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake should be Guardiola’s preferred three-man backline to start the next season, with Ederson a permanent fixture in goal. If and when Rodri could do with a break at some point in the campaign, Guardiola could push Kovacic into a deeper role and pair him up with Stones.
Kovacic has thrived in a deeper role for Chelsea and Croatia, with his excellent passing and ability to glide with the ball among his main strengths. In Guardiola’s tweaked system that has allowed Stones the freedom to operate as both a centre-back and a midfielder, Kovacic can operate as a box-to-box midfielder and make those late runs in the box to finish off chances.
The Croatian international can also help City dictate the tempo of games by starting alongside Rodri in central midfield. This would allow Guardiola the freedom to go more attacking in some games and use Julian Alvarez with De Bruyne as two No.10s. To make the optimum use of Kovacic’s skills to progress the ball from deep, the City boss may opt to use him as a No.8, leaving Kalvin Phillips on the bench.
At City, Kovacic will need to fight with the likes of Rodri, De Bruyne, Stones and Phillips for a spot in midfield. He is certainly not a like-for-like Gundogan replacement, with the 29-year-old not as productive as the Germany international, but nonetheless, is an excellent midfield option that Guardiola will be able to select from next term.
There is plenty of competition within Guardiola’s squad and, if the ex-Real Madrid man wants to succeed at City, he must stay fit.
