Chelsea sold a midfielder and signed one in the January transfer window last month.
Jorginho joined London rivals Arsenal, and Enzo Fernandez replaced him.
Chelsea sold Jorginho because his contract was running out in the summer of 2023, so they wanted to get some money for him.
He isn’t the only player that they might look to sell pretty soon before their contracts end, and there are a few on the list for 2024.
Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are amongst the major ones who have contracts running out then, and it is Kovacic that we are speaking on in this article.
Ben Jacobs of Si & Dan Talk Chelsea has the very latest on the Kovacic situation in his exclusive column for the publication today.
Jacobs covered a lot, as always, as seen here.
EXCL: @JacobsBen column:
– Chelsea's stance on Graham Potter
– Contingency plans
– Contract updates on Mount, Kante, RLC, and Kovacic
– What happened with Andrey Santos?
– Marcus Thuram latest
– Plus much more!https://t.co/xmw6xNd8m1— Chelsea-News (@ChelseaNewsCo_) February 20, 2023
And on Kovacic, Jacobs says that no talks over a new contract have started yet, putting a question mark over his future.
“Chelsea haven’t started any formal contract talks with Mateo Kovacic,” Jacobs said. “The Croatian midfielder only has 18 months left on his deal and I would anticipate Chelsea will listen to offers for him this summer. The reason for this is Kovacic isn’t likely to accept any reduced terms.
“Kovacic is already being looked at by other clubs. Juventus are keen, but without Champions League football, and uncertainty over future sanctions, it could prove difficult for them to persuade him to join.
“Game-time will also be crucial to Kovacic’s thinking. After all, Chelsea want at least one other central midfielder come summer.”
Kovacic is the model of quality, class, and consistency. Would hate to see him leave (without a suitable replacement already lined up).