Chelsea loan star Mateo Kovacic faces battle to convince Blues to make deal permanent

Battle: Kovacic has a £262million release clause in his contract
REUTERS
Simon Johnson8 November 2018

Mateo Kovacic is already a third of the way through his loan spell at Chelsea and now faces a battle to convince the club to make the move permanent.

There was an air of celebration at Stamford Bridge just before the last transfer window closed, when the Blues managed to secure the Croatia international from Real Madrid on loan. To reassure their fans, Real briefed it was a temporary arrangement that would see the midfielder return in 2019.

However, it is believed that some avenue has been left for Chelsea to negotiate buying the midfielder outright next summer and Kovacic suggested to the BBC in September that he would be open to the idea of staying, saying: “Everything is nice, so I could imagine myself here.”

The question is: would Chelsea be willing to do so? One suspects if they had to decide right now, the answer would be no.

A major reason would be the price. Kovacic has a £262million release clause in his contract, which still has three years to run. While Real are unlikely to demand such a sum should they decide to cash in, it leaves them in a strong position to ask Chelsea for a fee well in excess of £50m.

Kovacic, 24, is regarded at the Bernabeu as the heir apparent to Luka Modric, the creative heartbeat of the team. His compatriot is nine years older, meaning the European champions must plan for life without him.

At Chelsea, though, the jury is still out. Kovacic is expected to make his 13th Chelsea appearance against BATE Borisov on Thursday and it is important he delivers, with victory ensuring Maurizio Sarri’s team qualify for the last 32 with two games to spare.

Kovacic has just one assist in 12 Chelsea appearances 
Getty Images

Kovacic’s frame and running style resemble those of Eden Hazard, but the Belgian is far more decisive in the final third of the pitch. Even his rivals for a starting place — Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus-Cheek — have been more effective.

Kovacic has been named in the starting XI on six occasions in the Premier League — more than Barkley and Loftus-Cheek — yet only has a solitary assist, albeit a sublime one against Liverpool, and no goals to his name.

In contrast, Barkley has found the net three times and created four for his team-mates in all competitions. Even Loftus-Cheek, despite getting a fraction of the amount of game time, has registered four on the scoresheet.

In Pictures | Chelsea vs Crystal Palace 04-11-2018

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Kovacic would argue he brings different qualities, but are they sufficient to warrant a sizeable transfer fee?

In fairness to Kovacic, he is fully aware it needs to be put right. When asked by Standard Sport on the eve of this evening’s match about his statistics, he replied: “Of course, I want to improve. That’s a part that’s missing in my career so far, the goals and the assists.

“But I’m not watching myself so much. I’m occupied with my team, that the team performs at its best and I give the best.

“In the end, who scores or gives the assists is not the most important thing for me, but I have to improve a lot in this aspect.”

There are still many opportunities for him to do just that, but he is running out of time to prove he would be value for money.

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