• Kovacic has scored just 24 goals in 491 club appearances, compared to Gundogan’s 110 in 557 career appearances.
• The 32-year-old German midfielder’s influence was crucial in the closing weeks of City’s season with six goals in his final seven games - including a double in the 2-1 FA Cup final win over Manchester United.
Image: /FILE
Manchester City’s imminent signing of Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic and Ilkay Gundogan’s departure are the first changes to the squad which landed last season’s Treble — but are unlikely to be the last.
The 29-year-old Croatia international — who will arrive for an initial fee of £25m, potentially rising to £30m — looked like he would boost City’s options in the heart of midfield.
But just hours later, the news came out that German midfielder Gundogan would be joining Barcelona this summer on a free transfer — making the reasons for Kovacic’s signing a lot clearer.
Kovacic played 69 passes per 90 minutes last season — the fifth-highest total in the Premier League among central midfielders who played regularly.
He arrives with four Champions League successes to his name, three with Real Madrid, and provides the wealth of experience Pep Guardiola will be losing with Gundogan’s departure.
Like Gundogan, he is able to play further forward despite preferring a more defensive role, although he does trail the German with just seven appearances per goal contribution to the former’s three.
Kovacic has scored just 24 goals in 491 club appearances, compared to Gundogan’s 110 in 557 career appearances.
The 32-year-old German midfielder’s influence was crucial in the closing weeks of City’s season with six goals in his final seven games - including a double in the 2-1 FA Cup final win over Manchester United.
It’s no wonder Guardiola did not want to lose his captain but, after missing out on Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid, is Kovacic his replacement?
BBC Sport’s Simon Stone, said: “It explains why City are close to signing Kovacic from Chelsea and makes you wonder if Guardiola will stop there.
“After all, there is the annual uncertainty around Bernardo Silva, while Riyad Mahrez lost his starting spot as the season came to an end and is sure to be the subject of interest.
“Further back, Aymeric Laporte won’t want to risk his place in Spain’s Euro 2024 squad by being on the fringes at City.
“Guardiola proved last summer he was not averse to selling what were felt to be key men to rivals when he allowed Oleskandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus to join Arsenal.
“Over the years, City have been very good at knowing when to let players go. Gundogan may not be the last through the exit door before the summer is out.”
So what changes are possible this summer?
Kyle Walker
England defender Walker is reportedly keen to leave Manchester City — with Bayern Munich thought to be a possible destination. The 33-year-old has won the Premier League title in five of his six seasons at the club, but fell out of favour towards the end of the season.
In April, boss Pep Guardiola said Walker would struggle to get into the side with their current tactics. After a few weeks back in the team, he was benched for the Champions League final.
If Walker does leave, then unless Joao Cancelo comes back into the team, Rico Lewis could be back-up for John Stones at right-back.
Aymeric Laporte
Spain defender Laporte, 29, is another who could leave the club after falling out of contention.
He was City’s record signing at £57m in 2018 and Guardiola once called him the “best left central defender in the world”.
But he only made 24 appearances last season in all competitions, with 11 Premier League starts.
City are reasonably well stocked at centre-back with Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji and Stones capable of playing there — as well as Taylor Harwood-Bellis after his loan spell with Burnley.
Joao Cancelo
Portugal full-back Cancelo, 29, could conceivably return to Etihad Stadium after a less-than-stellar loan spell at Bayern Munich.
Having previously been one of City’s key players, he fell out of favour with Guardiola following the World Cup and joined Bayern on deadline day.
A reintegration into the team could be difficult, with City fans booing Cancelo when they met Bayern in the Champions League. However, City do not have a load of options at full-back, especially if Walker leaves, so anything is possible.
Kalvin Phillips
England international Phillips says he intends to stay with the club despite only starting 10 games last season following a £45m move from Leeds.
“I cannot give it 12 months and say I am not playing so I am going to leave,” the 27-year-old said.
But Gundogan’s departure is unlikely to boost his game time with the arrival of Kovacic. Were Phillips to leave, it would not affect City’s starting XI with Rodri their preferred starter in defensive midfield.
Riyad Mahrez
Algeria winger Mahrez, 32, is one of the many Europe-based stars being linked with a summer move to Saudi Arabia.
He only played 11 minutes in the Champions League after the last-16 phase and, despite scoring a hat-trick in the FA Cup semi-final against Sheffield United, he did not play in the final win at Wembley.
If he left, Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez would be confident of getting more game time.
Bernardo Silva
Portugal forward Silva, 28, is linked with a move away every summer — and this year is no different.
Paris St-Germain and Saudi Arabia are reported possible destinations. It feels unlikely that he and Mahrez would both leave - as they compete for some of the same positions.