Manchester United to rival Man City in race to sign 29-year-old Chelsea star: Reports
Manchester United have reportedly entered the race to sign Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic. The Croatian is also a target for Manchester City as he enters the final 12 months of his contract at Stamford Bridge after this season.
As per The Guardian, Erik ten Hag wants to add a midfielder with Premier League experience and sees Kovacic as the ideal player. The Dutch manager has Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes in Kovacic's position, but wants to add more depth to the midfield to make it stronger.
Manchester City were leading the chase so far for the former Real Madrid star. Pep Guardiola has been a fan of the Croatian and now believes he can be the replacement for Bernardo Silva should he choose to leave this summer.
Bayern Munich are also in the race for Kovacic as Thomas Tuchel is keen on a reunion. The German manager worked with the midfielder at Chelsea and has asked for the Croatian to be signed.
Chelsea yet to offer new contract to Manchester United target
Mateo Kovacic will be entering the final 12 months of his contract this summer and is yet to be offered a new deal by Chelsea. He is keen on staying at the club, but recent events suggest his future lies elsewhere.
Speaking to the club's official website, Kovacic said:
"I am five years here already, time flies, and I have been at Chelsea the longest of all the clubs. I feel really, really at home. There is nothing to not love in London. My family enjoys it, which makes it easier for me. The food is okay, maybe not like Italy or Spain! But London is amazing. My son goes to nursery here in London, he enjoys it, the people are so nice. I can only say good things about London and England. We feel really great here."
He added:
"'I had the luck to be in great countries, great cities, new cultures, meeting amazing people. I am blessed I could experience so many nice countries. I learned many lessons, but most of all just to respect all people. How they treated me I can just be thankful, and I tried to treat them the same way they treated me. Just be polite as much as I can, which is not always easy, but be myself. When I see where I have been it's really amazing. I'm just thankful for the people I have met. It's been a nice journey."
The Blues signed him on loan in 2018 and made the move permanent in 2019 after an impressive season under Maurizio Sarri.