Manchester City have submitted an official bid of £25m for Chelsea’s midfielder Mateo Kovacic on Tuesday.
City’s head coach Pep Guardiola is an admirer of the Croatian since his time at Real Madrid and wants to bring him to Manchester.
During his time with the Los Blancos, the Croatian won three UEFA Champions League (UCL) titles and La Liga in 2017.
Despite winning the treble, City are on the verge of losing three players who are likely to leave the European champions this year.
City’s captain Ilkay Gundogan, who led the team through the club’s first-ever UCL title and the treble, will run out of his contract this summer.
He also scored a brace in the FA Cup final against Manchester United to secure the title for City.
Earlier, Guardiola made it clear that his and the club’s priority is to keep their captain despite strong interest from FC Barcelona (FCB).
"We are interested in renewing his contract and [Barcelona] are also interested," Guardiola said at the Puma Legends golf tournament.
"I hope he stays with us. We are still fighting for him to stay with us. He is a player we want to stay, and we will do all we can, but we know Barca want him.
"If Barça sign him, they will have a spectacular footballer on their hands. I am aware Xavi has called him a lot. If, in the end, he picks Barca, I will tell him he will enjoy himself."
Meanwhile, right winger Bernardo Silva, who is considered one of the most important players for Pep, is linked strongly with Paris Saint Germain (PSG) and Barca.
Silva won his 14th career trophy after a UCL final win over Inter Milan.
There is also a huge offer for 32-year-old Riyad Mahrez to join Saudi club Al-Ahli and the Algerian, who is no longer the first choice at the Etihad, could consider leaving ahead of the new season.
It must be noted that Manchester City won the historic treble last season as they won the Premier League by five points, defeated city-rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final and the Italian club Inter Milan in the UCL final.