The 29-year-old Croatian international appeared to improve City’s options in the center of midfield. He will join for an initial fee of £25 million, which may increase to £30 million.
But only a few hours later, it was revealed that German midfielder Gundogan would be signing for Barcelona this summer on a free transfer, making Kovacic’s decision to join much more obvious.
Last season, Kovacic played 69 passes per 90 minutes, which was the fifth-highest rate among centre midfielders who saw regular action in the Premier League.
He brings the abundance of experience Pep Guardiola will be missing with Gundogan’s departure, having won the Champions League four times, three of them with Real Madrid.
Despite favoring a more defensive position, he can play further forward like Gundogan, albeit he lags behind the German with just seven appearances per goal contribution to the former’s three.
Compared to Gundogan’s 110 goals in 557 games during his career, Kovacic has just 24 goals in 491 club appearances.
With six goals in his final seven games, including a hat trick in City’s 2-1 FA Cup final victory over Manchester United, the German midfielder, 32, was instrumental in the team’s success in the closing weeks of the season.
It makes sense that Guardiola did not want to lose his captain, but Kovacic may serve as a suitable successor now that Jude Bellingham has gone to Real Madrid.
It clarifies why City are nearing a deal to recruit Kovacic from Chelsea and raises the question of whether Guardiola will go no farther, according to BBC Sport’s Simon Stone.
“After all, Bernardo Silva remains a question mark each year, and Riyad Mahrez, who lost his starting position as the season came to a finish, is certain to draw attention.
“Further back, Aymeric Laporte won’t want to risk being on the periphery at City by not being selected for Spain’s Euro 2024 squad.
“When Guardiola permitted Oleskandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus to join Arsenal last summer, he demonstrated that he was not reluctant to selling players who were viewed as vital players to rivals.
“City has been quite excellent over the years at recognising when to let guys go. Before the summer is over, Gundogan might not be the last one to leave through the door.
What potential changes may there be this summer?
Walker Kyle
Walker, an English defender, is apparently eager to leave Manchester City, and Bayern Munich is supposedly a potential destination.
In five of his six seasons at the club, the 33-year-old has won the Premier League championship, but he lost popularity towards the conclusion of the campaign.
Pep Guardiola, the manager, said in April that Walker would find it difficult to make the team given their present strategy. He was benched for the Champions League final after returning to the team for a few weeks.
If Walker does depart, Rico Lewis might fill in at right-back for John Stones if Joao Cancelo does not rejoin the squad.
Aymeric Laporte
Laporte, a 29-year-old defender from Spain, could also depart the team after losing his place in the starting lineup.
Guardiola once referred to him as the “best left central defender in the world” after he signed him for City for a record-breaking £57 million in 2018.
However, he only made 24 appearances in all competitions last season, including 11 Premier League starts.
Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji, and John Stones are all capable of playing at centre back for City, and Taylor Harwood-Bellis is also available after his loan stint with Burnley.
Bernardo Silva
Every summer, 28-year-old Portuguese attacker Bernardo Silva is rumoured to be leaving, and this year is no exception.
According to reports, destinations could include Saudi Arabia and Paris St. Germain.
Given that they compete for several of the same positions, it seems doubtful that he and Mahrez will both depart.