Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic has reportedly met with AC Milan and ‘offered himself’ to the club as he ‘intends to leave the Blues’ in the summer.
Kovacic has spent four and a half good seasons at Stamford Bridge until now. He’s generally been a useful regular performer in the heart of the midfield.
However, as with a lot of players at Chelsea at the moment, his future is up in the air. That the Blues have welcomed so many players into the squad of late has meant there is an uncertainty for a lot of stars.
That, coupled with Kovacic’s contract being up in the summer of 2024, are the reasons he might move on.
He’ll not be without suitors. In January, when Enzo Fernandez signed, Benfica wanted to add Kovacic to the deal, and that prompted the Blues to spend more.
Clearly, they saw him as a good replacement for Fernandez, as well as leverage to get more money.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is a reported ‘admirer’ of Kovacic. As such, the Citizens have registered an interest in taking him on board in the summer.
If Kovacic gets his way, it seems he’ll be heading to mainland Europe. Indeed, Pianeta Milan reports the midfielder has ‘offered himself’ to AC Milan.
That’s because he apparently ‘wants to leave the Blues at the end of the season’. Kovacic spent three seasons at Milan’s rivals Inter earlier in his career, and would ‘welcome a return to Milan’.
He’s been met with a somewhat positive response from the fourth-placed Serie A side, too. Indeed, the club ‘listened and registered’ Kovacic’s desire to play for them.
What’s more, if the ‘technical and economical conditions’ are met ‘it’s not excluded Milan will make an attempt’ to sign the midfielder.
The fee Kovacic would command should not be too high. While in the summer he’d be 29, so he’d still have some good footballing years ahead of him, that he’d only have one year left on his deal means the asking price wouldn’t be too much.
The report also suggests his salary ‘would be within Milan’s parameters’. Interest from another side such as City could stop the deal in its tracks.
However, if they don’t want to go through with their pursuit, Milan could make Kovacic their player fairly easily.