Manchester City have agreed a £30 million ($38 million) deal with Chelsea to sign Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic.

For the 29-year-old Croatian international, the treble winners will pay an initial £25 million, with a possible additional £5 million in add-ons.

Kovacic is in the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge after joining Chelsea from Real Madrid in 2018.

The midfielder is expected to become City’s first signing of the summer transfer window, giving manager Pep Guardiola more options in the middle of the pitch while the future of captain Ilkay Gundogan remains unclear.

As of the end of the month, Gundogan’s contract will have expired without having been renewed.

Mauricio Pochettino, the new manager of Chelsea, is expected to cut a lot of fat from the club’s roster, and Mateo Kovacic, a three-time winner of the Champions League with Real and one-time winner with Chelsea, is one of the players expected to leave.

France international midfielder N’Golo Kante left Chelsea on Wednesday morning to sign with Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia.

Photo by EPA/NEIL HALL