Official: Chelsea, Real Madrid agree Mateo Kovačić loan

Chelsea and Real Madrid have announced that they’ve reached an agreement over Mateo Kovačić. The 24-year-old Croatian international, fresh off his second place finish at the World Cup, is set to join Chelsea on loan for the season. As far as we can tell, there is no option to make the move permanent.

Kovačić had made it clear earlier this summer that he’s looking for more minutes than was afforded to him at Real Madrid, though at Chelsea, with Kanté and Jorginho presumed untouchable, he will still face stiff competition from the likes of Fàbregas, Drinkwater, Bakayoko, and/or maybe even Loftus-Cheek.

In any case, the move is pending a medical and any personal terms or other minor agreements that need to be ironed out, but those should be formalities at this point. As the news of Thibaut Courtois going the other way (pending personal terms and medical) came at the same time, the two moves are related in some way, shape, or form, though how exactly will probably not be known until later.

It’s happening.