Manchester City face battle with Bayern Munich to secure Premier League midfielder’s signature

Etihad officials have been hit with a blow from abroad in their hunt to sign Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovačić, with Bayern Munich reportedly stepping up their interest.

A trademark Pep Guardiola side contains central midfielders that are able to dictate the tempo of matches, keep possession, and create chances for the star-studded forward line that the Catalan coach is able to deploy.

The likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gündogan, Bernardo Silva and many more have all been regulars in sides that have brought joy to Manchester City fans over the years, as the team continue their trophy haul.

With Gündogan expected to leave following the expiry of his contract this season, Bernardo Silva seemingly wanting out for the last couple of years, and Kalvin Phillips not favoured, the need for another midfielder in this Manchester City side has increased.

As previously reported on City Xtra, via the information of TV N1 Sarajevo journalist Esmir Kunićn, officials from the Etihad Stadium had sat down for talks with Chelsea’s Mateo Kovačić in London.

However, Nizaar Kinsella, from the Evening Standard now reports that the Croat’s former boss Thomas Tuchel is eyeing up a move for the playmaker, with the German coach ‘keen on a reunion at Bayern Munich’.

Whilst Manchester City’s interest in Chelsea’s number eight remains, it is reported that the preference of the London-based club would be to sell abroad.

The recent purchase of Chelsea by the Clearlake Capital Group, spearheaded by Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, has seen a flurry of incoming transfer business, most notably Argentine World Cup-winning midfielder Enzo Fernández for a British record fee of £106.8 million.

It is believed that Kovačić could be available for as little as £30 million as a direct consequence of the Croatian being in a position where he will be about to enter the final 12 months of his contract with the London side.

As such, Kovačić has only been afforded 15 starts in the Premier League so far this season.

Thomas Tuchel has not been in charge of the German giants for long, having been appointed in March. His reign so far has seen his side victorious over title rivals Borussia Dortmund in his first match.

However, it hasn’t been plain sailing ever since.

The former Chelsea manager’s team have dropped off the top of the Bundesliga, been knocked out of the DFB-Pokal by Freiburg, and tasted defeat at the hands of Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals courtesy of a 4-1 aggregate scoreline.