Manchester City’s imminent signing of Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic and Ilkay Gundogan’s departure are the first changes to the squad which landed last season’s Treble – but are unlikely to be the last.
The 29-year-old Croatia international – who will arrive for an initial fee of £25m, potentially rising to £30m – looked like he would boost City’s options in the heart of midfield.
But just hours later, the news came out that German midfielder Gundogan would be joining Barcelona this summer on a free transfer – making the reasons for Kovacic’s signing a lot clearer.
Kovacic played 69 passes per 90 minutes last season – the fifth-highest total in the Premier League among central midfielders who played regularly.
He arrives with four Champions League successes to his name, three with Real Madrid, and provides the wealth of experience Pep Guardiola will be losing with Gundogan’s departure.
Like Gundogan, he is able to play further forward despite preferring a more defensive role, although he does trail the German with just seven appearances per goal contribution to the former’s three.
Kovacic has scored just 24 goals in 491 club appearances, compared to Gundogan’s 110 in 557 career appearances.
The 32-year-old German midfielder’s influence was crucial in the closing weeks of City’s season with six goals in his final seven games – including a double in the 2-1 FA Cup final win over Manchester United.
It’s no wonder Guardiola did not want to lose his captain but, after missing out on Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid, is Kovacic his replacement?
BBC Sport’s Simon Stone, said: “It explains why City is close to signing Kovacic from Chelsea and makes you wonder if Guardiola will stop there.
“After all, there is the annual uncertainty around Bernardo Silva, while Riyad Mahrez lost his starting spot as the season came to an end and is sure to be the subject of interest.
“Further back, Aymeric Laporte won’t want to risk his place in Spain’s Euro 2024 squad by being on the fringes at City.
“Guardiola proved last summer he was not averse to selling what were felt to be key men to rivals when he allowed Oleskandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus to join Arsenal.
“Over the years, City has been very good at knowing when to let players go. Gundogan may not be the last through the exit door before the summer is out.”
So what changes are possible this summer?
Source- BBC
