Manchester City Sign Mateo Kovačić
Treble-winners Manchester City announced the signing of Mateo Kovačić on a four-year deal on Tuesday.
According to ESPN, City and Chelsea agreed on a £25 million initial fee for the Croatian midfielder with an additional £5 million in add-on fees.
Official, confirmed. Mateo Kovacić joins Manchester City on permanent deal from Chelsea. ✅ #MCFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 27, 2023
Chelsea will receive £25m fixed fee plus £5m add-ons.
Contract until June 2027. pic.twitter.com/z4Dve3a2KZ
Kovačić had been with Chelsea for the last five seasons. During that time, he made 221 appearances for the club, winning the Champions League, Europa League, FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. He was also awarded the club’s Player of the Year award after the 2019-2020 season.
Kovačić will now join the rest of Manchester City’s squad as they look to defend their Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League crowns next season.
“This is a brilliant move for me, and I cannot wait to get started with City,” Kovačić said. “To be joining this squad really is a dream for any footballer.”
This is a big signing for Manchester City. They lost club-captain İlkay Gündoğan to Barcelona on a free transfer and missed out on Jude Bellingham earlier this June.
Pep Guardiola needed midfield reinforcements to fill the void left by Gündoğan and appears to have found his solution with Kovačić. The 29-year-old is a technically gifted midfielder with a long list of trophies to his name.
One of Gündoğan’s most important qualities was his ability to contribute to City’s attack. While Kovačić may need a short adjustment period to adapt to City’s playing style, he certainly has the ability to replace Gündoğan in City’s midfield.
“Mateo is an excellent footballer,” said Manchester City’s Director of Football Txiki Begiristain about signing Kovačić . “He can play as a 6 or an 8, has plenty of experience at top level clubs and he understands the Premier League. It was a very simple decision to bring him to City because he has the tactical and technical qualities we are looking for in a midfielder.”
Kovačić now joins a long list of players to depart Chelsea this summer. The Blues are looking to offload a large amount of their squad this summer to rebuild next season under new manager Mauricio Pochettino.
High-profile names including N’Golo Kanté and Kai Havertz have also already left the club. Others such as Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic are expected to join this list in the next few weeks.
SUBSCRIBE to the Vendetta YouTube Channel!
CLICK HERE for more soccer content!
