Mateo Kovacic has officially transferred from Premier League rival Chelsea to Manchester City.
It is believed that the fee will be worth an initial £25 million guarantee plus an additional £5 million based on performance.
Ilkay Gundogan, who recently joined Barcelona, will no longer wear the No. 8 jersey, which will be worn by him.
In the summer of 2018, Kovacic arrived at Stamford Bridge from Real Madrid, originally on a loan.
The 29-year-old Croatian international won 221 games for Chelsea and four major championships during his time there, including his fourth Champions League at Pep Guardiola’s team’s expense in 2021.
“This is a brilliant move for me, and I cannot wait to start playing for City,” Kovacic said.
Everyone who has followed this squad under Pep knows how talented they are; in my opinion, they are the finest in the world. They are the best footballing team in the world, as evidenced by the trophies they have amassed.
Any football player would consider it a dream to be a part of this team. I still have a lot of growing and learning to do, but I’m confident that, under Pep’s guidance, I can improve as a player, which excites me much.
“My current strategy is to take some time off before returning to Manchester to be ready for the upcoming season.
I wish to support this team’s continued dominance and trophy success.
Mateo is a fantastic footballer, according to Man City director of football Txiki Begiristain.
He has extensive experience playing for elite clubs and is familiar with the Premier League. He can play as a six or an eight. The choice to sign him to City was an easy one because he possesses the tactical and technical attributes we are seeking for in a midfielder.
He is a person we had closely studied for a very long time, and each time we did, we were impressed.
I’m glad he’s here. I’m very interested to see what he can accomplish working with Pep and the rest of our backroom staff because this is a great addition for this club.
