Chelsea-bound Mauricio Pochettino ‘identifies a new No 6 as his priority’ paving the way for Mateo Kovacic to LEAVE Stamford Bridge… with former Blues boss Thomas Tuchel ‘eyeing a move for the Croatian’
Mateo Kovacic could find himself reunited with former boss Thomas Tuchel this summer, with Mauricio Pochettino having reportedly picked out a No 6 as his priority this summer.
The former Tottenham and PSG boss has been heavily linked with the vacant managerial role at the Blues, after Graham Potter was sacked after just seven months in charge.
As a result, he has been quick to outline his plans for where Chelsea can strengthen in the summer, according to Metro, should he be named manager, with a deeper-lying midfielder top of his list.
This would pose a problem for Kovacic, who currently features there for the club, but could see him reunited with a manager that he had so much success with as a result.
German outlet Bild report that Tuchel is keen on recruiting a deep-lying midfielder of his own to operate in front of defence, with the four-time Champions League winner fitting the bill.
Mateo Kovacic could be set for a reunion with former boss Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich
Reports from Germany suggest Tuchel is displeased with status of the squad he has inherited
Mauricio Pochettino has been heavily linked with vacant managerial role at Stamford Bridge
Bayern Munich can currently rely on Joshua Kimmich and Konrad Laimer in midfield, although neither are as effective as Kovacic in this specific role.
Austrian Laimer often takes up position higher up the pitch, while Kimmich is more suited to a creative passing role, with neither deployed as a defensive barrier.
As a result Kovacic could be well suited to Tuchel’s new Bayern side, with the 49-year-old reportedly displeased with the status of the side he has inherited from Julian Nagelsmann.
The Croatian is out of contract in 2024, and with their books already thought to be bloated with an influx of players under Todd Boehly, Kovacic could make way this summer for a cut price fee.
There is believed to be general pressure for the Blues to relieve some of the strain after splashing £600million in their last two windows, with a number of players able to play in the two central midfield spots in their current system.
As well as Kovacic, Chelsea boast the likes of N’Golo Kante, Enzo Fernandez, Carney Chukwuemeka, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Conor Gallagher in central midfield, with Denis Zakaria in on loan.
The Croatian has won a Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup and Europa League since his 2018 arrival initially on loan, making 217 appearances for the west London outfit – with much of that success coming under Tuchel’s reign.
Kovacic has made over 200 appearances for Chelsea since arriving from Real Madrid in 2018
Tuchel arrived with Bayern on course for a treble but now finds his side out of two cups and second in the Bundesliga
Since joining Bayern, Tuchel has lost as many games since March 24 as Nagelsmann managed all season, and the club are now out of the Champions League, DFB Pokal and second in the title race.
Bild have also reported that the Bavarian giants could target a No 9 as well this summer, with Napoli star Victor Osimhen among the contenders.
The Nigerian is likely to cost any club a pretty penny this window, given his ruthless streak in front of goal for the Italian runaway champions-elect, with estimates suggesting a fee of £133m (€150m) will be needed.
However, it may serve in Bayern’s favour that the striker’s German girlfriend is eager for a return to her homeland, according to Bild.
