Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic makes ‘top team’ admission amid links to Manchester City

Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic has hinted he’s flatted by links to Manchester City this summer after enduring a difficult campaign at Chelsea where they finished 12th in the Premier League.

The 29-year-old Kovacic has been mentioned as one of the replacements for either Bernardo Silva or club captain Ilkay Gundogan both broadly said to be on their way out of the Etihad after Saturday’s final.

Manchester City will play in the final of the Champions League this weekend, they’re bidding to become only the second English team in history to win a treble after Manchester United in 1999.

Chelsea meanwhile are looking to rebuild their squad next season having just ended a nightmare first year under new ownership- but it remains to be seen if Kovacic will be part of the rebuild under manager Mauricio Pochettino.

But speaking ahead of Croatia’s Nations League semi-final against the Netherlands on Wednesday, the Chelsea star said he was taking his mind off all the rumours for now, but left the door open for a potential move.

He told the press ahead of the game: “I have one more year with Chelsea, this season was very bad.

“Everything is going towards the fact that after five good years, I will change, but in football, anything can happen. Right now, I’m focused on Croatia and the Nations League.

“Manchester City is a top team and deserves to be in the Champions League final. That’s what I have to say. The summer is long, we’ll see what happens.

“Chelsea is phenomenal for me. I love the city and the fans, they love me, I have wonderful memories of Chelsea. We’ll see what happens.”

Kovacic has won four Champions League trophies including one in 2021 with Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel. In what was a challenging campaign for the Blues this year, he played 37 games and scored two goals from midfield.