Chelsea ‘will try again’ to tie midfielder Mateo Kovacic down to a new contract in the near future, according to journalist Simon Phillips.
The Blues have so far been unsuccessful in their attempts to get the 28-year-old to put pen to paper on fresh terms despite him being a key component under new manager Graham Potter.
Chelsea news – Mateo Kovacic
A recent report from the Evening Standard revealed that Chelsea are eager to resume talks with Kovacic over extending his stay at the club after the ongoing World Cup.
The Croatia international’s current £150,000-per-week contract is due to expire in the summer of 2024, meaning he is fast approaching a crossroads in his career.
It was initially believed that Kovacic is ‘open to discussing’ a new deal as he has ‘grown comfortable’ in west London, although that standpoint may have shifted of late.
Phillips previously informed GiveMeSport that ‘Kovacic and his people are exploring other options’ and that is because they’re not ‘100% sure if they want to extend with Chelsea’.
The capital club are already facing the prospect of Jorginho and N’Golo Kante becoming free agents following the conclusion of 2022/23 and will surely be eager to retain some of their midfield stars.
What has Phillips said about Kovacic?
In an interview with GiveMeSport, Phillips disclosed that Chelsea’s hierarchy plan to ‘see if they can convince’ Kovacic to ‘sign a new deal’ once the showpiece event in Qatar is over.
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He said: “Chelsea will try again as with Mason Mount after the World Cup and speak with Kovacic and his people again and try and see where his head is at then and see if they can convince him to sign a new deal.
“But at the moment, he's very much in the thinking that he might consider his options.”
How important is Kovacic to Chelsea?
Kovacic may have only racked up 19 goal contributions in 201 appearances for Chelsea throughout his time at the club, yet his overall influence on the pitch cannot be underestimated.
As per FBref, the technically gifted star has ranked in the 98th percentile for progressive passes, 93rd for attempted passes, 85th for shot-creating actions, and 82nd for completed dribbles compared to his positional peers over the last year.
And Kovacic will be hoping he can shine for Croatia at the World Cup once more having already helped them pick up four points in their Group F encounters.
The 2018 runners-up face Belgium in their final group game knowing a draw will be enough to see them progress to the knockout rounds.