Mateo Kovacic left Real Madrid for Chelsea in July 2019 for a fee of £40 million. Kovacic is now on the verge of joining Manchester City after the Premier League club reached an agreement with Chelsea for a fee of up to £30 million.
The 29-year-old midfielder from Croatia is expected to sign a £25 million deal with the Premier League champions, with a $5 million option for add-ons.
As they try to pare down their enormous team for new boss Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea is still selling players.
N’Golo Kante, a fellow midfielder, is also about to leave the team after deciding to join Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.
2019 saw Kovacic transfer from Real Madrid to Chelsea, initially on loan before agreeing to a five-year deal.
During Chelsea’s tumultuous season in which they went through three managers before finishing 12th in the Premier League, Kovacic made 37 appearances across all competitions.
He was a member of the Chelsea team that defeated City 1-0 in the Champions League final in 2021 and entered the game as a late substitute.
Kovacic has played every game in 95 appearances for Croatia at the international level, helping them finish third in the 2022 World Cup.