5 Premier League transfers that are bound to happen on deadline day

Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League — Alderweireld could be on his way to Old Trafford on deadline day

#3 Mateo Kovacic to Chelsea

Malaga v Real Madrid - La Liga — A breath of fresh air for Kovacic?

Mateo Kovacic joined Real Madrid from Inter Milan for a fee of €31 million in 2015. However, since his move to the Bernabeu, the Croatian has been deprived of regular playing time leaving him frustrated. Over the three seasons with Los Blancos, Kovacic has only made 73 appearances in the La Liga.

After three years at the Spanish club, the midfielder has decided that a move away would be the most ideal thing to do for him to do at the moment. The 24-year-old is slowly moving towards his peak and needs to be starting for a top team in order to achieve his full potential.

If the recent reports are to be believed, Real Madrid have offered the Croat to Chelsea on a loan deal with an option to buy later in order to convince the Premier League side to sell goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to them.

Mateo Kovacic will join Chelsea on loan from Real Madrid with an option to buy.
— Mootaz Chehade (@MHChehade) August 7, 2018

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New Chelsea manger Maurizio Sarri is determined to add a new midfielder to his squad before the end of the transfer window and Kovacic is definitely not a bad option. The former Dinamo Zagreb player can operate as a central midfielder, defensive midfielder and attacking midfielder.

By the looks of it, Kovacic could be joining the Blues on Thursday.

About the author

Dakir is a European and Indian football journalist at Sportskeeda with an overall experience of 10 years. Holding a Master’s degree in Journalism & Mass Communication, and currently pursuing Master’s in Sports Journalism from Sheffield Hallam University, he is a seasoned football journalist who has interviewed the likes of former Liverpool star John Arne Riise, covered the entire 2022-23 Indian Super League season of the Kerala Blasters, and has delivered a seminar at an international conference held by St. Albert's College, Ernakulam.

Thanks to his extensive academic background in journalism, Dakir understands the importance of accuracy and spends a significant amount of time researching the subject. In today’s data-driven world of football, where players are perceived as machines, he prides himself amplify the voices of the people that make football the beautiful game that it is.

He started following football in 2013, and more specifically, Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool, and admires Jurgen Klopp for his untouched charisma and unmatched legacy. A perpetual underdog supporter, he is a fan of under-fire Reds forward Darwin Nunez and can’t wait for him to show the world what he truly is. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s iconic “corner taken quickly” corner assist for Divock Origi in Liverpool’s 4-0 UCL semifinal win over Barcelona left a lasting impact on him.

When not writing, Dakir enjoys indulging in his guilty pleasure - watching mass commercial movies.

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Edited by Shambhu Ajith