Real Madrid have reportedly given Chelsea seven days to decide on the future of Mateo Kovacic. The Blues have a week left whether to keep the Croatian midfielder on their list.
Kovacic was on a season-long loan to Chelsea from the La Liga giants. He was a regular under then manager Maurizio Sarri. Sarri left Stamford Bridge and joined Serie A side, Juventus.
Chelsea were recently handed a two-season transfer ban. Despite the transfer embargo, the Blues can still decide whether to keep Kovacic since he is a registered player at the club. To do this, they need to act and decide on this issue by July 1st. They have three options, sign the Croatian, extend his loan or return him to the Spanish side.
Real Madrid have a surplus of talents in the middle and have been eyeing Paul Pogba this summer. Zinedine Zidane said that he keen in acquiring the Manchester United talisman but no official statement has been released by Real Madrid.
As for the future of Kovacic, it remains to be seen as the Blues are still waiting for their purported new manager Frank Lampard. Lampard is expected to make a return to the Premier League club as a manager in the coming days. For Kovacic, he is happy with the English club and wants to stay in the capital.
Earlier, AC Milan also took a strong interest in inking a deal with the Croatian. The Rossoneri look to challenge Inter for Kovacic’s signature. The Croatian midfielder is no longer a stranger to the city. The 25-year-old midfielder used to play for Inter before.
Aside from the transfer ban, the absence of Ruben Loftus-Cheek may be enough to keep Kovacic for at least the next season. Loftus-Cheek injured his Achilles before the Europa League final in Baku, His condition is still uncertain for the 2019/2020 season.
