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Man City have been dealt a blow in their reported pursuit of Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic, with the Blues star confirming his desire to stay in London.
Both the Manchester outfit and German giants Bayern Munich are reportedly keen on his signature, with the midfielder approaching the final 12 months of his contract at Stamford Bridge.
Man City dealt transfer blow
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The reported interest from Man City comes as Pep Guardiola could lose midfielder Ilkay Gundogan this summer.
The Manchester club could also see Kalvin Phillips make a swift exit from the Etihad following his unsuccessful switch from Leeds, while Bernardo Silva has been linked with a move to Barcelona in recent times.
The club still boast a handful of world-class midfielders in the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri and Phil Foden, but it would be foolish to rule out Guardiola wanting to add to that group.
But whether they can persuade Kovacic to leave Stamford Bridge remains to be seen, with the Croatian international feeling at home in West London.
“I am five years here already, time flies, and I have been at Chelsea the longest of all the clubs,” said Kovacic, as quoted by the official Chelsea website. “I feel really, really at home.
“There is nothing to not love in London. My family enjoys it, which makes it easier for me. The food is okay, maybe not like Italy or Spain! But London is amazing. My son goes to nursery here in London, he enjoys it, the people are so nice.
“I can only say good things about London and England. We feel really great here. I had the luck to be in great countries, great cities, new cultures, meeting amazing people.”
Superb rise from Kovacic
Born in Austria, Man City target Kovacic spent several years in the youth academy of Austrian side LASK before moving to Dinamo Zagreb’s academy in Croatia.
It is an academy that has produced many high-profile players over the years, with Kovacic joined by Luka Modric, Dejan Lovren, Josko Gvardiol and many others in graduating.
Kovacic would stay at the club and play for the senior team for three years, winning the Croatian league twice and the Croatian Cup twice, before deciding it was time for a new challenge.
This new challenge arrived with Serie A giants Inter, where the midfielder spent three years before another major club came calling in Real Madrid.
Unsurprisingly, the major trophies came quickly in the Spanish capital, with Kovacic helping his side lift the La Liga title once, along with the small matter of three Champions League trophies.
Man City to increase interest?
Equally unsurprisingly, however, was the difficulty of playing regular first team football in a team that involved Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro.
In order to secure more minutes on the pitch, the Croatian forced a loan move to Chelsea in 2018, with the Blues making the deal permanent not long after given just how much promise he showed in his debut campaign in England.
Kovacic is now into his fifth season at Stamford Bridge, but given the club’s miserable campaign, Man City may just be growing more confident by the day of convincing him of a switch to Manchester.
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