Manchester City have reportedly shown interest in Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic, with a view to sign him in the summer.
Kovacic will have just 12 months left on his contract come the summer, and the best outcome for all parties may result in the Croatian leaving the club, given the amount of new talent signed at Stamford Bridge.
Having made over 200 appearances for the club, winning the Champions League, as well as claiming silver and bronze medals at the previous two World Cups for Croatia, Kovacic's performances in recent years are understood to have impressed Pep Guardiola.
The Daily Mail claim that under Todd Boehly's ownership, Chelsea are looking to avoid scenarios where players leave the club on free transfers, following the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen last summer.
Jorginho has already been sold as his contract was running down, but they were able to tie Thiago Silva down to another short contract extension recently.
However, with nothing agreed in terms of an extension for Kovacic, Man City have been alerted and may be able to acquire the midfielder at a cut price.
Jude Bellingham is the name on everybody's lips right now, but City are not thought to be one of the favourites to land the England international this summer.
Guardiola is expected to be in the market for midfield reinforcements due to uncertainty over the futures of Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva.
Andrew Delaney
