Mateo Kovacic has been one of the best players for Chelsea this season (Getty Images)
According to a recent report from the Daily Mail, Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic, who is currently on loan at Stamford Bridge from Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid, has begun transfer talks with Russian side Zenit St.Petersburg over a potential permanent move in the summer.
It has been suggested that Real Madrid are eager to sell their man in an effort to fund their rather optimistic pursuit of the Blues’ Belgian left-wing magician Eden Hazard.
While Maurizio Sarri has clearly stated that he would like the Croatian World Cup star to stay beyond the end of the current season, his future is certainly up in the air at the moment.
His contract with Chelsea doesn’t have an option to buy built in making the task of signing him permanently all the more difficult for the Blues. Madrid could take an executive decision to sell him to the highest bidder rather to honour any kind of loyalty to Chelsea.
Mateo Kovacic is a 24-year-old creative midfield player with a knack for holding onto the ball well in middle of the park. His movement on the ball is unmatched while his ability to pass and move the opposition around is exceptional as well.
He started his youth career with Ebelsberg but it was at European giants Dinamo Zagreb that he really found his feet. Having made the switch in 2008, he was promoted to the Zagreb first team in 2010. His starring displays for the side from the Croatian capital earned him a move to Serie A superpower Inter Milan in 2013.
After playing in 97 games for Inter and scoring 8 goals on the way, Kovacic’s stellar performances piqued the interest for La Liga monsters Real Madrid in 2015. After moving to Madrid though, his first-team playing time decreased considerably because of the sheer quality of the Los Blancos’ squad.
He has played in over a 100 games for Real Madrid and he’s even managed to score 3 times whiles he’s notched up 8 assists. Very much a player who excels in the centre of the pitch, it’s his contributions in the build up that make the difference rather than his goals return.
Since making the move to Chelsea in the summer, Maurizio Sarri has given him plenty of playing time in the Premier League and in Europe. The Croatian has played in 28 matches in the league this season and he’s even managed a couple of assists despite coming off the bench a lot.
He has played in 49 matches for the Croatian national side and was one of heir star players at the FIFA World Cup in Russia last year. His qualities will certainly help this Chelsea side move forward as a team given the experience that he possesses.
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With an attacking manager like Maurizio Sarri at the helm, Kovacic could really prosper in England in the coming years. All of this, added to the fact that Chelsea may be facing a potential transfer ban, means that they simply can not afford to let the Croatian join Zenit in the summer and must convince Real Madrid to let them sign him in the summer instead