Chelsea Set to Battle Manchester City to Keep Custody of Midfielder Kovacic

• Chelsea are facing difficult times over the renewal of the contracts of seven first-team stars
• A mass exodus is expected in the summer for some out of favour stars but the club still wants to keep some experienced players
• Midfielders Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic are two stars the club are willing to keep but could lose both

Chelsea's new owners, Todd Boehly led consortium, are rebranding the club across all departments and making on-pitch changes since their £4.25bn takeover about a year ago.

They have made four appointments to the board; Lawrence Stewart, Paul Winstanley, Joe Shields and Christopher Vivell have joined in different capacities to help oversee a successful era on and off the pitch.

The new recruitment model is centred around data and building a core of young players, easing academy players' path into the first team, but not without the help of some experienced players.

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Chelsea battle to keep Kovacic

The midfield trio of Jorginho, Ngolo Kante and Mateo Kovacic was Chelsea's most consistent senior midfielders for five years since the three began playing together in the 2018/19 season. Jorginho has left for Arsenal, while Ngolo Kante is close to agreeing to new contract terms, with his current deal set to expire in the summer, as reported by ESPN.

Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic, whose contract expires next year, faces an uncertain future. Chelsea are willing to extend his current contract, but he is attracting interest from rivals Manchester City with Pep Guardiola, an admirer, as reported by Telegraph UK.

The former Real Madrid midfielder is one of the most senior members of the team and also one of the most decorated, with four UEFA Champions League titles on the list of his trophies.

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Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, César Azpilicueta and Thiago Silva are other team members whose contracts expire in 2024.

Potter holds crisis talks with senior players

Sports Brief earlier reported that Graham Potter held crisis talks with senior Chelsea players in January to find solutions to the poor form.

Potter revealed he spoke to Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho, who departed the club on deadline day to Arsenal.

The manager listing the former Inter Milan midfielder as a part of the conversation and the owner's desire to keep him underlines his importance to the team.