Chelsea star in SHOCK negotiations with Premier League rivals

Tom Weber

• 31 May 2023 18:58 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic is in talks with Manchester City, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Blues have enjoyed a horrid season, missing out on European football despite spending €600 million on new players. Incoming coach Mauricio Pochettino's first order of business will therefore be to assess the squad and slim it down since Chelsea's spending spree has left it quite bloated.

The first deals are already being done. Academy graduate and perennial nearly-man Ruben Loftus-Cheeks appears to be on his way to AC Milan, loanees Joao Felix and Dennis Zakaria have been told that they won't be signed on permanent deals and Mason Mount is reportedly also inching closer to a departure.

READ: Man Utd and Chelsea target issues price tag warning to force move

These players won't be the only ones to leave, however, and Fabrizio Romano has now revealed that another Chelsea star is 'very likely' to leave this summer.

Kovacic talking to City

According to the transfer expert, Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic is in 'concrete talks' with Manchester City over a move to the Etihad. The 29-year-old has been an important player for Chelsea, but the club is now open to letting him go as part of what Romano has termed a 'midfield revolution.'

"Mateo Kovacic," the Italian told his 1.63 million YouTube subscribers, "has very huge chances to leave Chelsea in the summer. This is something very likely, from what I understand."

"The conversations have already started because Kovacic is out of contract in the summer [of] 2024 and the idea of Chelsea and Kovacic is the same: to part ways and to try a different challenge."

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"Manchester City," Romano continued, "are among [the] clubs really interested in Kovacic. Nothing is decided or done yet, but Manchester City are having contacts and conversations to explore the option of Mateo Kovacic."

City are also being linked with Spanish youngster Gabri Veiga, so it appears that they are preparing for the departure of out-of-contract captain Ilkay Gundogan.