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“Wonderful memories” – Mateo Kovacic breaks silence on Chelsea future & Man City transfer links
Mateo Kovacic has spoken for the first time on his Chelsea future after he was given permission to hold talks with Manchester City over a summer transfer.
The 29-year-old is set to be part of Chelsea‘s squad overhaul this summer as Mauricio Pochettino revamps his side ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
Kovacic is out of contract next summer and Chelsea are set to cash in on the Croatian, with Man City expected to sign him this summer for a fee around £30-40 million which is the Blues’ asking price.
Talks have been positive and personal terms aren’t expected to be an issue with the Premier League champions, but a fee between the clubs still needs to be agreed.
While on international duty with Croatia as they prepare for their Nations League semi-final clash against the Netherlands this week, Kovacic was asked about his future at Stamford Bridge.
The Chelsea midfielder remained coy after a ‘really bad season’ which saw them finish 12th in the Premier League.
As quoted by Yahoo Deportes, he said: “I have one year left on my contract with Chelsea. It’s been a really bad season. Everything indicates that after five years I’ll change the environment, but we’ll see what happens.
“Right now I’m only focused on Croatia and the Nations League.”
Manchester City are currently preparing for a Champions League final in Istanbul, Turkey this week. They come up against Kovacic’s former side Inter Milan.
Kovacic hailed his potential future club, however was quick to hail his five-year spell at Chelsea after initially joining on loan from Real Madrid in 2018 before his move was made permanent a year later.
He added: “Manchester City is a top team and deserves to be in the Champions League final. That’s what I have to say. The summer is long, we’ll see what happens.
“Chelsea for me is phenomenal. I love the city and the fans, they love me, I have wonderful memories of Chelsea. We’ll see what happens.”