Premier League giants showing shock interest in signing Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic: Reports

Manchester City are reportedly interested in signing Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea. The Croatian is in the final 18 months of his contract and is yet to hold talks over a new deal.

Matt Law of The Telegraph claims that Pep Guardiola is keeping tabs on Kovacic's situation at Stamford Bridge. The Spaniard is interested in working with the midfielder and will make a move for him in the summer.

Chelsea are looking to bolster their midfield and could cash in on the Croatian in the summer. They signed him from Real Madrid in 2018 on a season-long loan and made the deal permanent during their transfer ban in 2019.

Kovacic has been brilliant for the Blues since joining but has lately been on the sidelines, often due to injuries and illness. He is yet to be offered a new deal and reports suggest that Graham Potter's side are not close to handing him a new contract.

Similar to Jorginho, the Blues are willing to cash in and sell to a Premier League side as long as their valuation is met by their rivals.

Mateo Kovacic forced move to Chelsea from Real Madrid

Mateo Kovacic moved from Real Madrid to Chelsea as part of the Thibaut Courtois deal in 2018. He initially joined the Premier League side on loan as he wanted to play more and made his move permanent a year later.

Speaking in the summer of 2018, Kovacic confirmed that he wanted to leave Madrid and said:

"I want to play more and the best thing is to leave Madrid. I love football and being on the pitch, I want the opportunity to be a starter for another team. If I do not play, I'm not happy."

Then-Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui confirmed that the midfielder was eyeing a move away and said:

"There's nothing 100 per cent certain. Mateo has said he wants to leave, I've said he is an important player. If he wants to leave, we'll look to find solutions. ... Obviously if Mateo does leave, we'd look for players of his level. We need to have a balanced team, and he's an important player."

Kovacic is just 28 years old and has a good three to four years of top-flight football left in him.