Reports have claimed that Chelsea have reached an agreement with Real Madrid over the permanent signing of Mateo Kovacic.

After months of speculation in the media, Chelsea finally managed to secure a try-before-they deal for the Croatian midfielder, who reportedly turned down a number of top clubs to test himself in the Premier League and under the guidance of Maurizio Sarri.

However, he was all set to return to Madrid this summer as the Blues questioned whether or not to hand Kovacic a long-term deal, despite the fact that he has become a big part of Sarri’s plans.

The appointment of Zinedine Zidane at Madrid will allowed Chelsea to seal a deal for Kovacic, as the 25-year old midfielder was not be part of the revolution next season.

It is believed that Madrid will be ready to give Zidane around £300 million to spend on new players and build a side that is capable of challenging Barcelona for the La Liga title, and possibly try to add another Champions League title to the cabinet.

And the Sky Sports website has now revealed that Kovacic has agreed a £40 million move to Stamford Bridge, despite Chelsea’s transfer ban.

Kovacic can be signed because he is registered with the club following his loan spell last season, and with that loan deal expiring on June 30 – so Chelsea need to finalise the permanent deal before then.

Kovacic has been impressive at times for Chelsea this season and deserves to stay with the club for the foreseeable future, especially since Chelsea are facing a long transfer ban for some dodgy dealings.

£40 million is a bargain in todays football game, as a player of his quality normally goes for more than double that. He has played well and so far deserves a deal.

So even though there may be a few fans who firmly believe that he did not deserve to stay at the club in the long-run, the smart move was to hand the midfielder a deal that could keep him at the club for the foreseeable future.

More Chelsea news:

Midfielder to be a Blue next season , Striker excited ahead of move , Kante talks to fume Chelsea fans

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