Mateo Kovacic would reportedly prefer to remain at Chelsea rather than return to his parent club Real Madrid at the end of the season.
The Croatian midfielder moved to Stamford Bridge on a season-long loan from the Santiago Bernabeu last summer and he has since established himself as a key member of Maurizio Sarri’s starting XI.
The 24-year-old has featured in over 40 matches across all competitions for the Blues this term, helping the team progress to the latter stages of the Europa League and challenge for a place in the Premier League’s top four.
According to Goal, Kovacic has reached a conclusion regarding his transfer status at the end of the campaign, with it his desire to earn a permanent contract at Chelsea instead of going back to Real Madrid.
Unfortunately, there are a few obstacles in the way of a potential deal, as a summer of uncertainty looms at the Bridge due to the club’s recent transfer ban.
The Blues were alleged to have broken rules regarding the transfer of minors from clubs abroad and were thusly hit with a two-window transfer ban, which is due to take effect when the market reopens.
The club are still awaiting the final verdict on an appeal from a FIFA committee, but as things stand, no new players can be brought into the club until next year.
Kovacic must return to the Bernabeu if the ban is upheld and if it isn’t, he still might have to jet off to Spain once again, due to the fact that Chelsea do not have a pre-agreed option to sign the Croatia international permanently in place.
Goal also reports that the club have not yet decided whether or not they would even consider retaining the Madrid superstar’s services, despite the fact the European champions are supposedly open to his sale.
At the moment, Chelsea have a list of issues which are piling up with each passing week and Kovacic’s future is not among the most pressing, which means in all likelihood he will be plying his trade back in La Liga next season.
