Mateo Kovacic set for Chelsea medical with Real Madrid midfielder's loan move to trigger Tiemoue Bakayoko transfer

Simon Johnson8 August 2018

Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic will undergo a medical on Wednesday ahead of a loan move to Chelsea.

The agreement will include an option for Chelsea to make the move permanent next summer.

Kovacic made it clear to Real Madrid that he wanted to leave Santiago Bernabeu after starting just 37 games in La Liga in the past three seasons.

The highly-rated 24-year-old was part of Croatia's World Cup squad but played just 21 knockout-stage minutes during their run to the final.

Kovacic's arrival will trigger the departure of Tiemoue Bakayoko, who is set to join AC Milan on a season-long loan. Chelsea bought the France international from Monaco for £40m last summer, but he failed to make an impact in the Premier League.

With Kovacic set to play alongside Jorginho and N'Golo Kante in a three-man midfield, Sarri has no need for Bakayoko.

Chelsea are also trying to offload another expensive 2017 summer buy in £35m Danny Drinkwater, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek is considering whether to request another loan.

Meanwhile, Everton have made an inquiry to loan defender Kurt Zouma, who has not featured in any of Sarri's pre-season games.

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