Manchester City closing in on signing of €40 million Premier League midfielder

Treble winners Manchester City are closing in on their first signing of the 2023 summer transfer window, with a deal for Mateo Kovacic on the brink of completion.

Etihad Stadium officials have centred a large share of their transfer business around the recruitment of midfielders this summer, mainly due to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding several of their first-team options.

Ilkay Gundogan is still yet to make a decision over his future, despite a contract extension offer on the table from Manchester City, and offers in place from the likes of FC Barcelona and Premier League rivals Arsenal.

Bernardo Silva is understood to be keen on a move away from the club once again this summer, after the Portugal international fell out of love with the lifestyle on offer in the north-west of England two years ago.

Should both players opt to leave and satisfactory offers be placed in front of both themselves and the club, then Manchester City will almost certainly have to do business more than once in the midfield department.

One such opportunity that the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup winners have decided to pursue is that of Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic, with the Stamford Bridge club needing to sell this summer in order to fund their own business and comply with financial regulations.

Now, according to new information from ESPN’s James Olley, Manchester City are now ‘on the brink’ of completing a deal worth around €40 million/£34.2 million to sign Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic.

Talks between the two clubs have reportedly ‘progressed well’ in recent days, with a ‘broad agreement’ on the transfer fee leading to ‘more detailed conversations’ about how the payments are structured.

ESPN report that one of the few remaining outstanding issues centres on how much Manchester City will pay Chelsea up front. Despite such issues, it is stated that the expectation is that a deal for the 29-year-old will be completed ‘within the next fortnight’.

City are also understood to hold an admiration and intensified interest in West Ham United’s Declan Rice, although face fierce competition from Arsenal – who remain hot favourites to sign the England international.

The midfielder is expected to fetch a transfer fee north of £95 million this summer, and after seeing their opening offer of £80 million rejected on Thursday, Arsenal are expected to re-launch with a second offer closer to the £100 million mark.

Despite Manchester City’s project and exciting offer for a player of Rice’s quality, the understanding in various quarters is that the player would favour a stay in London, even if Etihad Stadium offers were to offer a greater financial proposal to those working on the deal within the London Stadium.

City are also exploring options in defence, with centre-back and full-back of interest to transfer chiefs, while a wide forward is also on the agenda this summer despite options being relatively limited.