Why Manchester City should splash £80million to sign Mateo Kovacic

Manchester City pretty much ran away with the league title last season as Pep Guardiola was on a record-breaking run with the club. The Cityzens became the first club in the history of the Premier League to amass a total of 100 points in a 38-game season.

Guardiola has already begun preparations to mount a strong title defence after signing former Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez for a reported fee of around £60million. Guardiola has already silenced his critics from last season and he must aim to do so again. After all, the prospect of becoming the first coach to win the title consecutively since the days of Sir Alex Ferguson should seem like an enticing prospect for the Catalan.

The former Barcelona coach is clearly not done with his business in the market. After the champions failed to complete a move for Napoli midfielder Jorginho, with Chelsea hijacking the deal, Manchester City have been linked with Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic.

The Cityzens are reportedly interested in signing the star from Santiago Bernabeu. Real Madrid have made it clear that they are only willing to part with Kovacic for a whopping fee of around £80million.

The three-time Champions League winner was a major part of the Croatian national team that finished as runners-up to France in the World Cup finals. Though the French won the World Cup, the Croatians have won all our hearts. Kovacic made just 1 start for his country, but came off the bench 4 times and put in excellent shifts.

At Real Madrid, the midfielder has been playing a limited role which could prompt him to exit the club this summer. He was only able to muster 10 appearances in the La Liga last season, providing 1 assist in that time. He also made 4 appearances in the Champions League, laying on 1 assist.

Kovacic generally operates as a central midfielder but the Croatian is also capable of playing on the left flank. He possesses all the qualities to play in the middle of the park. The 24-year-old is calm and composed on the ball while being excellent with his distribution from the midfield. Kovacic averaged a pass success rate of 93.7% in the league last season and also boasted an average of 94.3% in the Champions League.

Manchester City are already short of midfield options after the controversial departure of club icon Yaya Toure and Pep Guardiola will require reinforcements for the squad. Though Real Madrid’s asking price of £80million seems quite steep, it’s evident that City possess the financial power to go on and get their man. He will certainly provide them with depth and stability in the middle of the park, which will be crucial next season.