Mateo Kovacic has hinted that he could complete a permanent move to Chelsea next summer.
Speaking about his future after the 0-0 draw at West Ham, as reported by Football London, the Croatian international dropped a major hint that his long-term future could well be in London.
It is too early and I have to respect my contract with Real Madrid. But for now I’m really happy with Chelsea. The city is amazing. The fans are great. The stadium, everything is nice. I could imagine myself [staying] here.
The player joined from Real Madrid on a season-long loan as part of the deal that saw Thibaut Courtois leave the club.
Kovacic has been an instant success at Chelsea, fitting straight into the midfield three alongside N’Golo Kante and fellow summer signing Jorginho.
The former Inter midfielder had found regular game time hard to come by at Real Madrid but looks to be Maurizio Sarri’s preferred option in midfield, ahead of Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
It is believed that Chelsea do not hold the option to buy, so they would need to negotiate a price with Real Madrid in order to seal a deal.
