Chelsea BOMBSHELL dropped by Romano with £30m announcement

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 21 Jun 2023 11:00 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea are ready to compete the £30 million sale of Mateo Kovacic to Manchester City, according to Fabrizio Romano.

FootballTransfers has exclusively revealed that Pep Guardiola’s treble winners had targeted a move for midfielder Kovacic in order to help them lure RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvariol to the club.

MORE: Arsenal and Chelsea fight over ‘VERY UNHAPPY’ Premier League star

The first part of Man City’s plan appears to have reached fruition, with Romano announcing that everything is in place for a deal to be done, giving the transfer his ‘here we go’ seal of approval.

The transfer specialist reports that terms were agreed between Kovacic and Man City a fortnight ago and all that stands between the 29-year-old and the transfer being formalised is a medical, which is expected to take place in the next few days.

MORE: Chelsea already have multi-club model as Boehly outfoxes Premier League AGAIN

Kovacic to Man City: The details

Romano has broken down the details of the move, which will see Man City pay a guaranteed £25m to Chelsea, with the possibility of £5m included in bonuses. He has revealed that these payments are tied to team performances and not those of Kovacic.

This move, in conjunction with several others that are ongoing. are important for Chelsea as it will provide new manager Mauricio Pochettino with funds to strengthen his team.

Romano had previously announced on Wednesday that the Blues are set to offload at least three fringe players to the Saudi Pro League on a permanent basis, while free agent N’Golo Kante has already made that move.

Kovacic’s exit opens the door for Chelsea to complete a move for Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo, with the Seagulls asking for a huge fee for the Ecuador international after Liverpool triggered Alexis Mac Allister’s release clause earlier this summer.

The Blues are expected to add more extensively to their midfield, while they will also strengthen several other areas of their team, including central defence and in attack.