Kovacic ‘expected’ to make €35m move to Chelsea — report

According to Spanish newspaper Marca (via Sport Witness), one of the many sales that Real Madrid are expected to make this summer is the permanent transfer of Mateo Kovacic to Chelsea for €35 million.

Kovacic has made 50 appearances while on loan at Chelsea already this season, deputising in all roles of Maurizio Sarri’s three-man midfield scheme, including as the nominal backup to Jorginho after Cesc Fàbregas left in January to join Monaco. It is therefore unsurprising that keeping Kovacic was already rumoured to be one of the primary objectives for Chelsea (and Sarri) this summer.

While Chelsea remain transfer-banned at this time, it’s been argued that since Kovacic is not technically a new player to Chelsea, we can turn his loan into a transfer and still register him with FIFA for next season. Since there is no precedent for this, whether we can actually do it remains to be seen.

In case that deal falls through, Madrid will be hoping that there is market for Kovacic after his time at Chelsea, with former club Inter Milan an alternative destination, for example.

Either way, €35 million seems fair for a player of his talents. Kovacic is said to be ‘delighted’ with the prospect of leaving Madrid once and for all. He may not be the ultimate difference-maker on the pitch, but he is certainly versatile and useful enough to warrant our investment.