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What's the rumour?
Last week, several reports suggested that Chelsea were looking to make a move for Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey, who was expected to cost about £30 million. However, latest reports now suggest that since Ramsey only has 1 year left on his current contract at Arsenal, Chelsea could decide to wait it out and sign him for free next summer.
Meanwhile, Ramsey is currently in talks with Arsenal over a contract extension, and while Chelsea seem to be closely monitoring the situation, reports from The Daily Mail claim that manager Maurizio Sarri has already begun to look for alternatives and has allegedly identified Real Madrid's Mateo Kovačić as the perfect candidate.
In case you didn't know...
Kovačić has been at Real Madrid for 3 full seasons now, but has failed to permanently break into the first team with veterans Luka Modric and Toni Kroos lying ahead of him in the pecking order.
The 24-year-old has expressed his desire to move away from Madrid, although Los Blancos seem rather reluctant to lose a player of his calibre. Kovačić has also previously attracted attention from the likes of Manchester City.
The heart of the matter
Having signed Jorginho, Chelsea are still intent on signing another quality midfielder to bolster their side ahead of next season. Further, with Eden Hazard's future still uncertain, Sarri seems very keen on signing either Ramsey or Kovačić.
Sarri is believed to be extremely impressed by Kovačić, who he closely observed during the midfielder's time at Serie A side, Inter Milan. Danny Drinkwater is also expected to be sent out on loan, further stressing on Chelsea's dire need of a reliable midfielder.
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Kovačić would certainly improve any side that he joins.
Rumour Probability/Rating: 6/10
Chelsea are reportedly set to lose out on their long-term target, Gonzalo Higuain, whose representatives have been in contact with AC Milan over the past few days. As a result, they could certainly go all out for Mateo Kovačić.
Real Madrid might be hesitant to let go of the young Croatian, but chances are they'll bite if a good enough offer is submitted.
What's next?
Chelsea only have 8 more days to finalise all their transfer business before the summer transfer window slams shut. The unlikelier a move for Ramsey gets, the likelier one for Kovačić becomes.
