Real Madrid offer Chelsea option to extend Mateo Kovacic loan

Aditya Devavrat 22:11 27/04/2019
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  • Mateo Kovacic.

    Chelsea could extend Mateo Kovacic’s stay at the club despite the threat of a transfer ban looming over the upcoming transfer window.

    The Croatian midfielder was signed on a one-year loan from Real Madrid last summer, with no option to make the transfer permanent at the end of the season.

    However, according to the Mirror, Madrid have offered Maurizio Sarri’s side a lifeline by giving Chelsea the chance to extend Kovacic’s loan by another season – with a mandatory option to buy after the 2019-20 campaign.

    The 24-year-old has made 44 appearances in his debut season in England, and though he has yet to score his first Chelsea goal he has been a combative presence in Sarri’s midfield as they push for a top-four finish in the Premier League and the Europa League trophy, having reached the semi-finals of that competition.

    With Zinedine Zidane having returned as Madrid manager in March, it’s unlikely that Kovacic would want to go back to the Spanish capital, having struggled for playing time under the Frenchman.

    The Croatian was keen to press his claim for first-choice status in the national team ahead of last summer’s World Cup, but found his route to more starts for his club side blocked by Madrid’s established midfield trio of compatriot Luka Modric, Casemiro, and Toni Kroos. Even after Zidane’s shock departure from the club last summer, Kovacic opted to leave in order to guarantee more regular starts.

    Upon arriving in London last summer, the midfielder bid farewell to Madrid on Twitter, making it clear that he saw his future away from Spain.

    But the transfer ban Chelsea are facing over alleged illegal signings of under-age players has muddied the waters, though the club has lodged an appeal. If that fails, the Blues will be banned from registering players for the next two transfer windows.

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