The 29-year-old Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic joins one of the strongest clubs at the moment. As Chelsea continues the summer cleanup, Kovacic leaves for a Premier League rival Manchester City. The Citizens have secured an outstanding player in their offensive midfield up until 2027. Stay tuned as we review the details of this interesting deal.
Reasons to Join City
After five years in Chelsea, 221 appearances, along with a Champions League and a Europa League trophy, Mateo Kovacic happily joined Manchester City. The Blues have been eyeing the Croatian midfielder from the start of the year. However, they were not the only ones bidding for Mateo.
Chelsea have spent quite a bit of money in what many would say was a disastrous summer window last year. This time, they are looking to trim the squad and ensure financial stability and fair play.
Manchester City’s success was astounding this season. Winning the treble is a dream only a few have managed to achieve. After the great success, Pep’s team saw the departure of their captain, Ilkay Gundogan, to Barcelona. This move has made the team significantly weaker, and the club has been looking for a replacement ever since.
Mateo Kovacic was one of the top choices for the club. While we can’t say he is an exact copy of Gundogan, he definitely has some unique qualities. Mateo Kovacic is an experienced player who is used to playing at the top level. Most importantly, Mateo himself thinks he will fit in perfectly with the team.
On a personal level, Mateo joined Man City in pursuit of more silverware. While he carries numerous trophies from Chelsea under his belt, there is room for more. Kovacic believes he can get more with the Citizens.
Transfer Details: A Bargain for City
With Bayern Munich pulling out of the bidding war, Mateo had no doubt that his next club would be City. Even with Bayern in the transfer talks, Mateo’s preference for the Citizens would probably be the deciding factor.
Finally, the two top-flight English clubs agreed on a price of £25m with an additional £5m in the air. Even if the price of the deal turns out to be £30m, it is still quite the price for a four-year contract. Kovacic has been one of the key players and game-changers for Chelsea. Seeing him leave for such a menial price is a surprise to many fans.
To put it into perspective, many estimate he could easily be the replacement for Ilkay Gundogan. Considering how much Gundogan has done for City in their most recent conquest, the news of the price was shocking.
Kovacic has both tactical and technical qualities, and these are just the qualities City has been looking for. City director of football Txiki Begiristain praises Mateo and says they were impressed with his skills from the start.
