Two-goal hero Mateo Kovacic dedicated his double to his future child following Manchester City's 3-2 victory over Fulham.

Kovacic scored either side of half-time to complete the turnaround, as Pep Guardiola's side came from behind to maintain the pressure on Premier League leaders Liverpool, who they trail by a single point.

The Croatian's deflected strike in the 32nd minute levelled the contest, before he swept City in front from 20 yards within two minutes of the restart.

That took Kovacic's goal tally for the season to three - already his best return in a single Premier League campaign - and his strikes had added significance on a personal level.

"It means a lot because my wife is pregnant, so it was great to get some goals for the little one," he said. "It is never easy to play in the Premier League and, today, we showed great character. 

"We dominated in the beginning and couldn't score, conceded the goal and then came back quickly. In the end, we won it. It was a tough game against an opponent in good form, so for us, it is good to continue winning.

"It is always important to get the win. It doesn't matter who scores; the most important thing is getting three points. Now, we hope to continue like this."

Kovacic anchored City's midfield in the absence of Rodri, who suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal a fortnight ago.

"I am playing there in the middle at the moment and, of course, we need to cover for Rodri. We miss him a lot," the 30-year-old added.

"I think any team would miss him, the player that he is, and we wish him a speedy recovery and hope he comes back in as good a shape as possible. 

"For now, we have to adapt and, for sure, the manager has a lot of options, so we can rotate."

Pep Guardiola was left both relieved and pleased as Manchester City overcame Chelsea on Sunday to banish last season's Stamford Bridge demons.

City and the Blues played out a chaotic 4-4 draw in the corresponding fixture last term, but no such issues were present on matchday one of 2024-25 as Guardiola's side kicked off with three points.

Erling Haaland delivered a well-taken opener on his 100th competitive appearance for City, with his 91st goal for the club paving the way for a routine triumph.

Mateo Kovacic put the result beyond all doubt six minutes from time, powering forward before steering an eye-catching finish into the top-left corner against his former club.

With key midfielder Rodri absent after a late return to training and Phil Foden only fit enough to appear from the bench, Guardiola was satisfied to see his team pass their first test of the campaign.

"I didn't expect it. We are away from our best so three points is the good news. The bad news is we have 65 games ahead of us," he told Sky Sports after the full-time whistle.

"We have an advantage, it's our ninth season together so we know each other well. Of course, there are mistakes you have to improve on but we talked, the difference in being champions was our body language, how did we behave?

"It's the bad moments in the season and in the games that define the big teams. For me, it is an honour to be in charge of these guys. I'm so fortunate, I could not say more.

"There is a plan, defensive, offensive. But afterwards, it's how we celebrate the good moments and come back from the bad moments.

"That's what defines these teams and no one talks about it. For a while, we could never win at Stamford Bridge – this is a big step."

Across the last three seasons, Haaland has scored two more Premier League goals in August (13) than Chelsea have managed as a team (11), and four more than rivals Manchester United have scored (nine).

The Norway striker could have had a second after the break if not for a smart Robert Sanchez stop, before his foul on Levi Colwill saw a finish from the impressive Rico Lewis disallowed.

Yet a routine victory was hardly expected for the visitors, considering they started without Rodri, whose influence on Guardiola's team remains seismic.

Prior to this clash, City had lost just six of 102 matches when Rodri had started since the start of the 2022-23 season, as many defeats as they had suffered in 18 games without him.

Guardiola warned records are there to be broken, however, as the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss hailed the influence of Rodri's replacement Kovacic.

"Be careful with statistics with us because we break it," Guardiola told BBC's Match of the Day.

"Rodri is massively important for us so it's important to have Mateo here because he is an experienced player and a great person. He made a good performance."

Manchester City opened their Premier League title defence with little trouble after sweeping aside Chelsea with a 2-0 away victory on Sunday.

Pep Guardiola's team are chasing a record-extending fifth consecutive title and opened their 2024-25 campaign with a routine three points at Stamford Bridge, in stark contrast to the remarkable 4-4 draw in this fixture last term.

Erling Haaland chipped past Robert Sanchez with a well-taken opener in the first half of his 100th appearance for City, profiting from Bernardo Silva's deft offload to send the visitors on their way to victory.

Nicolas Jackson responded for Chelsea by having an equaliser ruled out before the break, with the Blues striker caught offside after Ederson unconvincingly parried from Cole Palmer's dipping strike.

Jackson again tested Ederson after the interval with a volley from Romeo Lavia's header, but Mateo Kovacic's fine individual finish against his former club six minutes from time sealed the win.

Victory saw City – who also had a Rico Lewis goal disallowed – join seven other teams on three points, while Enzo Maresca's Chelsea are just one place above the bottom three after his first match at the helm.

Data Debrief: Haaland provides further opening-game heroics

Haaland has been directly involved in 106 goals in 100 appearances for City, and the Norway talisman has enjoyed the opening fixture in this competition as well.

The 24-year-old became the first City player to score on matchday one in three consecutive Premier League seasons, after David Silva (2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16).

He has also scored 13 times across his nine Premier League appearances in August, two more than Chelsea have managed as a team since the start of the 2022-23 season.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are winless in their last seven league meetings with Man City (D2 L5), since a 2-1 away win in May 2021, and will have to recover before their next top-flight trip to Wolves on Sunday.

Ante Budimir's third international goal ensured Croatia secured a first victory over Portugal as they concluded their Euro 2024 preparations with a win. 

The visitors took the lead from the penalty spot inside the opening 10 minutes after Vitinha's clumsy challenge on Mateo Kovacic saw captain Luka Modric assume responsibility and fire the ball beyond Diogo Costa. 

Croatia's dominance continued for much of the first period, with Lovro Majer forcing Portugal's goalkeeper into making a smart save as Zlatko Dalic's side were rarely troubled by an attacking quartet of Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Joao Felix and Goncalo Ramos.

However, substitute Diogo Jota was on hand to level the scores three minutes after the restart, tapping home Nelson Semedo's teasing delivery into the area. 

Heading into the eighth meeting between the sides, Croatia had managed just one draw from their previous seven encounters with Portugal, but a maiden triumph was theirs when striker Budimir reacted quickest to turn home Mario Pasalic's shot that had come back off the crossbar. 

The introductions of Premier League duo Pedro Neto and Mathues Nunes offered the hosts more attacking pedigree, but they were unable to find a way past Dominik Livakovic as Ruben Dias squandered a golden opportunity late on to share the spoils, with Cristiano Ronaldo remaining an unused substitute.

Data Debrief: Budimir the boy as Kovacic stays perfect

Budimir's three shots in the encounter produced the highest xG of anyone on the pitch at 1.07, with Portugal's players combined finishing with an xG of only 1.54.

At the heart of Croatia's midfield, Kovacic was the only player for either side to record a 100 per cent pass completion, completing all 39 of his attempted passes. 

Pep Guardiola insisted there were no regrets after Manchester City’s bid to retain their Champions League crown ended in a heartbreaking penalty shoot-out loss to Real Madrid.

The holders were beaten 4-3 on spot-kicks by the Spanish giants after their quarter-final tie ended 4-4 on aggregate – 1-1 on the night – despite a dominant display from Guardiola’s side in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium.

City fell behind early to a Rodrygo goal but created a host of chances as they sought to regain control of the tie but Kevin De Bruyne’s 76th-minute equaliser was their only reward.

City manager Guardiola said: “I would have preferred to win but congratulations to Real Madrid, they defended so deep with incredible solidarity and we did everything.

“I don’t have any regrets about what we have done. Always we try to create more chances and concede less, because we believe that helps you to win and we did everything.

“We played exceptionally in all departments and unfortunately we could not win.”

Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic both missed in the shoot-out, with the former’s effort proving a particularly comfortable save for Andriy Lunin.

Guardiola refused to blame the Portuguese for his failure to register.

He said: “Bernardo asked to take it, he’s a reliable player and decided to shoot in that way. What a game he had played. It happens.”

Guardiola also had no complaints about Real’s tactics, with the Spanish side forced to sit back and defend deep for much of the game.

“I don’t judge,” he said. “I’m not here to do this. It’s football. In this competition, that’s the way football happens.”

City’s loss also ended their hopes of winning a second successive treble and they must now pick themselves up for Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Wembley.

Guardiola said: “Now we will rest and on Friday we travel to London to play the game.

“We will see how people will react. Of course the recovery is easier when winning, rather than losing, but it is the semi-final of the FA Cup and we will try to compete as much as possible.”

Real manager Carlo Ancelotti admitted the strength of City had forced them to soak up pressure and look to take the tie on penalties.

The veteran Italian said: “We defended really, really well. This was about survival. Madrid is a club based on always fighting to stay in situations where there seems to be no way out – but we always find a way.

“By the time the penalty shoot-out came, we were totally convinced we’d go through.

“This is about the only way you can come to City and win. You work, sacrifice and win however you can.”

Manchester City’s dreams of retaining the Champions League were shattered after a dramatic penalty shoot-out loss to Real Madrid.

Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic both missed from the spot as City were beaten 4-3 on penalties after their pulsating quarter-final tie ended 4-4 on aggregate.

Rodrygo had given Real an early lead in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium but City otherwise dominated and, after creating a host of chances, finally made it 1-1 on the night through Kevin De Bruyne in the 76th minute.

De Bruyne spurned a good chance to win the tie in normal time and Erling Haaland had earlier hit the crossbar but it was the competition’s record 14-time winners who ultimately prevailed.

It was harsh on City, who had immediately set out their stall to dominate possession.

Despite their control, however, the hosts looked vulnerable to the counter-attack and were caught out after 12 minutes.

Jude Bellingham brilliantly controlled a high ball with the outside of his foot and found Federico Valverde, who in turn fed Vinicius Junior in the box.

Vinicius pulled back for Rodrgyo and, although Ederson did well to beat out his powerful first-time shot, he could do nothing to deny his fellow Brazilian on the rebound.

City stepped up the tempo in response and created a host of chances.

Haaland sent a header against the bar and Silva missed the rebound before De Bruyne forced Andriy Lunin to save from 25 yards.

Jack Grealish twice went close with two efforts deflected wide and De Bruyne had two attempts on goal direct from corners, with Lunin palming both over.

Phil Foden also missed the target as City kept up the pressure but Josko Gvardiol needed to block a Dani Carvajal shot to prevent Real snatching a second on the break.

City started the second half strongly and Nacho needed to scramble clear off the line with Haaland lurking after a mix-up in the Real box.

Yet Foden could only manage a weak shot at Lunin and there were signs of frustration as the game passed the hour mark with Pep Guardiola trying to rouse the crowd.

City pressed on with Grealish shooting at Lunin and their persistence finally paid off as Antonio Rudiger could only half-clear a cross from substitute Jeremy Doku and De Bruyne clipped home the loose ball.

With the crowd energised, City stepped on the accelerator and De Bruyne sent a dipping shot narrowly over before skying an even better chance.

City kept the pressure on until the end of normal time but could not find a way through Real’s stubborn defence.

Haaland was sacrificed for extra time and Foden spurned a good chance when he mis-kicked in front of goal.

Real attacks remained rare but Kyle Walker, underlining an impressive return after injury, raced back to prevent Vinicius escaping and Rudiger put a chance over.

It came down to penalties and, although Ederson lifted City by saving from Luka Modric, Lunin denied both Silva and Kovacic to send Real through.

Pep Guardiola immediately turned his attention to the challenge of Real Madrid after his Manchester City side thrashed Luton 5-1 on Saturday.

City enjoyed the perfect preparation for Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against the Spanish giants as they cruised past the Hatters in a one-sided encounter.

An early own goal from Daiki Hashioka set them on their way before second-half strikes from Mateo Kovacic, Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Josko Gvardiol wrapped up a comfortable win.

With the three points taking City back to the Premier League summit, putting pressure on rivals Arsenal and Liverpool ahead of Sunday’s fixtures, Guardiola could switch his focus to Real.

“The team is alive,” said the City boss, whose side played out a pulsating 3-3 draw with Real last Tuesday.

“It’s difficult against Real Madrid but, at the same time, let’s try and go to do it with our people.

“Whatever happens, we will give everything. There is not one minute when we won’t know what to do.

“We have all our desire to do it. I want the Etihad full, no seat empty.”

City are chasing an unprecedented second successive treble.

Guardiola said: “We have to admit it, what a privilege, still fighting for the Premier League, playing against Real Madrid with a chance to qualify for the semi-final, and the FA Cup next Saturday, a semi-final again.”

Although City won comfortably, Guardiola felt Luton had made things difficult.

He said: “It was really hard until the second goal.

“We played really good and had a lot of chances in the first half but we missed something in the finishing.

“How many times have I seen in world football that a team is better and doesn’t win the game? Many times. We know how difficult Luton are.”

Hatters boss Rob Edwards conceded he had not expected his relegation battlers to get anything from the game.

He said: “It was always going to be difficult. Without sounding very defeatist, I almost made peace with it.

“They were the dominant team, they were amazing, but we stayed in the game as long as we could. It’s tough but today was never going to derail us.”

Edwards bemoaned his side’s luck in conceding so early, with the own goal coming as a Haaland shot cannoned into the net off Hashioka’s head.

He said: “We wanted to try to be aggressive but then Haaland knocks out Hashy with the first goal – one of the few defenders we have left knocked out on the floor and we’re 1-0 down after a minute.

“What a start that is, that’s tough.”

Hashioka required treatment before continuing but Edwards later clarified he had not actually been knocked unconscious.

He said: “No, he was just lying flat. I was just saying that in jest. I was just worried that he was.

“He just got up and I thought, ‘thank goodness for that’. Otherwise we would have been putting a centre forward at centre-back.”

Erling Haaland scored five of Manchester City’s six goals in a superb individual display as the FA Cup holders thrashed Luton at Kenilworth Road to progress to the quarter-finals.

City’s top scorer made it 27 for the season despite having missed almost two months with a foot injury, driving his team on to a ruthless 6-2 victory, though the win owed as much to the excellent Kevin De Bruyne, architect of four of his team-mate’s goals.

Mateo Kovacic also scored with a worthy strike of his own late on after Jordan Clark had netted either side of the interval to haul Luton from three down to within a single goal. In truth, though, they never really got close to City.

Pep Guardiola’s side were irresistible in the first half, ripping through Luton from all angles with De Bruyne and Haaland at their electric best. It took under three minutes to make their breakthrough.

Manuel Akanji brought it out of defence and fed Matheus Nunes ahead of him on the left. Nunes stood up Amari’i Bell and played a clever reverse pass that split Luton’s back line and ran through to De Bruyne, and he raised his glance to see Haaland waiting to wrap his left boot around the ball and thump it home from 10 yards.

Luton’s Teden Mengi had competed well with Haaland, matching him for power and strength in one-on-one duels, but after 18 minutes the City striker won out and doubled his side’s lead. De Bruyne again was the creator, receiving it from Haaland on halfway and returning it into the Norwegian’s stride. He burst beyond Mengi and crashed it through the legs of Tim Krul with unerring cool.

His hat-trick nearly arrived soon after, a ball threaded through at pace by John Stones finding his run, but this time Krul raced out and blocked. Nunes was next to go close, thrashing wide at the near post after finding space inside the box.

City threatened to run riot. De Bruyne hit a low volley brilliantly beaten out by the right arm of Krul, who was rewarded with good fortune on the rebound when Haaland’s follow-up landed in his gloves.

Luton wanted offside for Haaland’s third, but VAR showed he had timed his run off the shoulder substitute Joe Johnson expertly. The finish, chipped over Krul as he advanced, oozed confidence.

It looked like being a near-perfect half for Guardiola, marred only by the loss of Jack Grealish just before the break to injury.

Then out of nothing, Luton brought a roar from home fans on the stroke of the interval, a brilliant finish sent spinning into Stefan Ortega’s top corner from 25 yards by Clark.

They came at City at the start of the second half with the same ferocity with which the holders had begun the match, and they were rewarded similarly early. Clark was closer to goal this time though the angle was devilish. A shot across the goalkeeper looked to be on, but instead he lashed it towards the near post and beyond Ortega for 3-2.

It gave Kenilworth Road all of three minutes to dream. That was all it took for Haaland to score his and his team’s fourth, De Bruyne again the provider as he squared for a simple tap-in.

His fifth was harsh on Krul, a left-foot drive squirming through the goalkeeper as though bamboozled by City’s dizzying onslaught. Haaland had scored five in under an hour.

Kovacic added his name to the scoresheet, rifling one in in the 72nd minute to deepen Luton’s misery.

There was at least late respite when Haaland was brought off in the closing stages. It had been his and City’s night.

Pep Guardiola was left to rue injuries to Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva after Manchester City returned to Champions League action with a 3-1 win at FC Copenhagen on Tuesday.

Grealish, handed his first start in six matches, lasted just 21 minutes of the holders’ largely straightforward last-16 first-leg success at Parken Stadium before being forced off with a groin injury.

Silva, who put City into a 2-1 lead just before the break with a fine flicked finish, took a knock to the ankle late in the game.

The double blow comes after Josko Gvardiol missed the game with an ankle injury and Mateo Kovacic was also unavailable.

City manager Guardiola said: “It’s something muscular with Jack, his groin.

“He felt it on the grass, started to complain. The players can feel it immediately if it’s muscular. It’s a pity, he’s gutted.

“He wanted to continue but we didn’t want to make the damage even worse. We’ll make tests tomorrow.

“Bernardo has a big knock in his ankle and Josko is out two to three weeks. Kova is ready to come back.”

The injuries took the gloss off what was a mainly comfortable night for City.

They took an early lead through Kevin De Bruyne and, dominant in all departments, should have led by more before Magnus Mattsson levelled after an Ederson error.

Silva restored the lead and Phil Foden gave the scoreline a more realistic look in stoppage time.

Guardiola said: “It was really, really good. I’m so proud we played at that tempo. It was perfect.

“We were patient in the right moments but it’s not done. I know how difficult it is.

“It’s not decisive but a good result. Hopefully we can finish at home in front of our own people and go to the next round.”

Danish champions Copenhagen had not played competitively for two months due to their league’s winter break and their rustiness was evident.

Coach Jacob Neestrup admitted it will now take something spectacular to progress but will not give up.

He said: “Of course it’s going to be difficult, but now we have three games in the Danish league where we need to get results. Then we take the away game, where we try to do our very, very best.

“The players did everything they could. I can’t blame them for anything. We played against a top, top team who know exactly what to do in every situation.

“I think City came with a very, very professional mindset. They took control of the game from the first second.”

Pep Guardiola urged his Manchester City players to seize a potential “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity after reaching the Club World Cup final.

The Champions League winners set up a clash with Brazilian side Fluminense in Friday’s showpiece in Jeddah with a comfortable 3-0 win over Japanese outfit Urawa Red Diamonds on Tuesday.

City needed an own goal in first-half stoppage time to get their campaign up and running in Saudi Arabia, but strikes from Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva after the break secured a straightforward victory.

City manager Guardiola told reporters at a press conference said: “We didn’t win it (before) – it’s the first time Manchester City are here.

“This is the last step – a title the club doesn’t have, so we’ll go for it.

“To play this final you have to have done incredible things – mainly to win the Champions League.

“Once we are here, maybe it is a trophy we play for once in a lifetime.

“It’s against Fluminense, a South American team, experienced, a lot of quality. I saw yesterday how good they are.

“But we are there. Tomorrow we will start to see Fluminense and try to do a good performance and win the title.”

City were without Erling Haaland for a fourth successive game due to a foot injury but were still far too strong for the Asian Champions League winners.

They had already created numerous chances before defender Marius Hoibraten turned into his own net to give City the lead.

Reds boss Maciej Skorza said: “They are the best team in the world in my opinion, but our plan didn’t work in the perfect way.

“We expected that possession would be huge in favour of Manchester City. We had our plan for counter-attacks, but this didn’t happen.

“Maybe this is the big difference in the physical aspect between the two teams and lack of experience of playing teams like City.”

Mateo Kovacic says Manchester City will need to raise their level while they are without key players if they are to remain in the Premier League title race.

The champions came from behind to win 2-1 at Luton on Sunday but did so without injured top-scorer Erling Haaland, who was out with a stress fracture in his foot.

The 23-year-old, who has scored 19 goals this campaign in addition to the 52 he netted in his debut season at City, is also likely to miss Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Belgrade to face Red Star and Saturday’s meeting at home to Crystal Palace.

In-form winger Jeremy Doku also sat out the win at Kenilworth Road with a muscular injury, joining long-term absentee Kevin De Bruyne among those unavailable to manager Pep Guardiola as his team looks to chase down a four-point gap to league-leaders Liverpool.

“Obviously we missed key players like Erling and Kevin, it’s never easy when you miss such big players,” said Kovacic. “But they are not in the moment here, we need everybody to give 10, 20 per cent more like we did (on Sunday) and then we can win games.”

The win was City’s first in five matches following draws against Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea, prior to last week’s loss to Aston Villa.

Defeat to Rob Edwards’ side would have left them seven points adrift of the Reds, but victory against Palace will move them to within a point of the top with the sides above them not playing until Sunday.

Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish each scored in the space of three second-half minutes to turn the game around after Elijah Adebayo’s goal at the end of the first period had left them facing a fifth straight winless game.

“The team was confident because we were playing good,” said Kovacic. “We had not bad results, some draws where we could have won.

“This is football sometimes, then it’s about how you come back. Today we came back in a good way.

“A big three points. We showed overall great football, especially in the first half we played very well, we found a lot of players in the pockets which is what we want.

“When you do your thing and insist, the goals come. We could have scored even more, but I’m happy with the three points.

“We saw in recent games that big teams can struggle here. We showed that even when the circumstances are like this we can do our best and play good football.

“This team has shown over the years that in the tough moments, they are there, and they were there again (on Sunday).”

Manchester City have agreed a £30million deal with Chelsea to sign midfielder Mateo Kovacic, the PA news agency understands.

The treble winners are set to pay an initial £25million for the 29-year-old Croatia international, with a further £5million to follow in potential add-ons.

Kovacic, who joined Chelsea from Real Madrid in 2018, is entering the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge.

City will now look to complete the formalities of a move with the player.

Kovacic will become City’s first signing of the summer and give manager Pep Guardiola more midfield options at a time when captain Ilkay Gundogan’s future is uncertain.

Gundogan’s contract expires at the end of this month and the Germany international has not yet agreed new terms.

Kovacic, who won the Champions League three times with Real and once with Chelsea, could be one of several summer departures from the London club as new manager Mauricio Pochettino trims his squad.

Chelsea are reportedly investigating a potential transfer for Sadio Mane after the forward's highly publicised bust-up with Bayern Munich team-mate Leroy Sane.

Mane, 31, won the Premier League and Champions League with Liverpool before joining Bayern in a £27million (€32m) transfer in June.

His first season in Germany has resulted in 10 goals and five assists in his 30 combined appearances in the Bundesliga and Champions League, making 22 starts.

While he has been far from a disappointment, his future at the club is now up in the air after a widely reported incident where he punched his team-mate after a 3-0 Champions League defeat against Manchester City.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA TO OFFER MANE A RETURN TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE

According to Football Insider, Sadio Mane "is now believed to be on the radar of Chelsea", and the Stamford Bridge club are now "ready to consider a shock move".

The report states Bayern will only be looking to recoup the majority of the fee they paid for the Senegalese star, and would provide a far cheaper alternative to Napoli's 24-year-old sensation Victor Osimhen.

It also adds that Mane's former club Liverpool have no interest in bringing him back to Anfield.

ROUND-UP

– The Telegraph is reporting that West Ham's 24-year-old midfielder Declan Rice is Arsenal's top priority in the next transfer window.

– Aston Villa are planning a bid for 27-year-old Brentford striker Ivan Toney, who also has interest from Manchester United, per Football Insider.

– According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Milan would like to secure 30-year-old Atletico Madrid striker Alvaro Morata as a replacement for injury-prone veteran Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

– Former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel wants to reunite with 28-year-old midfielder Mateo Kovacic at Bayern Munich, per Sport1.

Manchester City are reportedly keeping a close eye on Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic as a potential replacement for Ilkay Gundogan.

Kovacic, 28, has been a regular starter since arriving from Real Madrid in a £40million transfer back in 2019, but significant upheaval has seen him fighting for his spot in Chelsea's best XI.

With nine substitute appearances among his 23 Premier League outings this season, Kovacic's future at Stamford Bridge is up in the air as he prepares to enter the final year of his current contract.

While City are said to be serious about their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham, it may not stop them making a move for Kovacic, who they purportedly believe could slide in seamlessly in Gundogan's place.

TOP STORY – CITY CONSIDER KOVACIC AS BELLINGHAM REMAINS THE PRIORITY

According to GiveMeSport, City are closely monitoring Kovacic's contract situation, and if no extension arrives he could be a prime candidate for Chelsea to ship off.

Further reporting from the Evening Standard adds that Chelsea are planning a "major overhaul" of their squad before June 30 in a race to comply with financial fair play rules.

That newspaper does not mention Kovacic as one of the likely departures, instead naming Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech, Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Conor Gallagher, Romelu Lukaku, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mason Mount.

City are reportedly not dissuaded by Dortmund's asking price of around £125m for English super-prospect Bellingham, but there has been no indication the teenager would sign off on the move among interest from the world's biggest clubs.

ROUND-UP

– Calciomercato is reporting Napoli have marked 21-year-old Atlanta United winger and World Cup winner with Argentina Thiago Almada as their top transfer priority.

– According to Sport, Barcelona and Inter are in favour of a potential swap deal that would send 26-year-old midfielder Franck Kessie to Italy in return for 30-year-old Marcelo Brozovic.

– David de Gea is on the verge of signing a contract extension with Manchester United, per Forbes.

– Gazzetta dello Sport is reporting Chelsea, United and Paris Saint-Germain target Victor Osimhen will require a €150m (£132m) bid to pry away from Napoli.

– According to TalkSPORT, Aston Villa have renewed their interest in 22-year-old Arsenal talent Emile Smith Rowe after having a £30m bid turned down in 2021.

Liverpool are set for a busy off-season with suggestions that Jurgen Klopp and the club's management want a squad overhaul.

Among the key areas to address is their midfield options, leading to links to numerous players.

It was reported last week Liverpool have pulled out of the race for Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham.

TOP STORY – REDS TO RAMP UP MOUNT INTEREST

Liverpool will ramp up their efforts to sign Mason Mount, amid a lack of a breakthrough in negotiations between the midfielder and Chelsea, reports The Guardian.

The Reds have now moved on from Bellingham given Dortmund's asking price, with Mount in their sights given he is out of contract at the end of this season.

Mount has offered no signs that he will extend his Chelsea deal, with Liverpool eager to capitalise and lure the 24-year-old England international to Anfield.

ROUND-UP

- Chelsea could look to join the race alongside Real Madrid for Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez, according to Fichajes. Alvarez is reportedly unhappy with his lack of game-time on the pitch at City.

- Manchester City are interested in an off-season move for Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies along with Real Madrid, reports Sky Sports Germany's Florian Plettenberg. Davies' contract runs until 2024 and he has held talks with Bayern on a new deal.

- Man City are also willing to let defender Aymeric Laporte exit in the off-season if he pushes for a move, claims the Daily Mail. Laporte, who is contracted until 2025, has fallen out of favour at City.

- 90min reports Arsenal are tracking Borussia Monchengladbach's Florian Neuhaus, who is contracted until 2024.

- Sport Witness claims Inter's Joaquin Correa has interest from Premier League trio Aston Villa, Everton and West Ham.

- Ex-Tottenham boss Antonio Conte will take over at Roma next season, with Jose Mourinho tipped to move to Paris Saint-Germain, per Calciomercato.