Manchester City have reportedly agreed a fee with Chelsea to sign midfielder Mateo Kovacic.
The Croatia international has been a key part of the first-team squad at Stamford Bridge ever since initially joining the Blues in 2018 on a season-long loan deal from Real Madrid.
During that time, Kovacic has made 221 appearances, scoring six goals and providing 15 assists, as well as winning the Champions League, Europa League and Club World Cup.
However, ever since the 29-year-old entered the final 18 months of his contract in January, it has been perceived that a summer departure was more likely than not.
With Chelsea in a position where they must generate funds as soon as possible to boost their position with FFP, offers from Premier League rivals have had to be considered.
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Just like Chelsea did with Raheem Sterling last summer, Pep Guardiola has taken advantage of the situation to move for a player who could emerge as a potential replacement for Ilkay Gundogan.
As it stands, it remains unclear whether the club legend will pen fresh terms at the Etihad Stadium, yet City will seemingly have a new midfielder in their ranks regardless of how the situation regarding the Germany international is resolved.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, City and Chelsea have now settled on a compromise over a fee for Kovacic, who is now expected to seal a transfer to the top-flight champions.
At one stage, Chelsea were allegedly demanding £35m for a player who has just narrowly missed out on UEFA Nations League glory with Croatia, losing to Spain on penalties.
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Instead, Romano says that City will pay £25m up front for Kovacic with a further £5m potentially coming in add-ons depending on City's trophy haul over the coming years.
Earlier this month, it was reported that personal terms had already been agreed, with Kovacic now due to undergo a medical with City's staff in due course.
From Chelsea's perspective, they will lose a second midfielder in a matter of days, N'Golo Kante's switch to Saudi Arabian champions Al-Ittihad having been confirmed on Tuesday night.
Conor Gallagher and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have also been linked with moves to Germany and Italy respectively at a time when Chelsea are keen to sign Brighton & Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo.
Darren Plant
