AC Milan and Luka Modric eyeing sensational 2026 transfer for Manchester City midfielder | OneFootball

Mateo Kovacic is attracting interest from AC Milan as the Manchester City star enters the final two years of his contract at the Etihad Stadium, as per reports from Italy.

The 31-year-old made his long-awaited return to action on Saturday after coming off the bench in a 2-0 win over Everton – having spent the best part of five months on the sidelines after undergoing Achilles surgery at the end of the 2024-25 season.

Kovacic joined Manchester City from Chelsea in 2023 and helped Pep Guardiola and co win a fourth successive Premier League title in his first season at the Etihad Stadium, bringing in a wealth of title-winning experience from his time in London and Real Madrid.

City endured their most challenging season under Guardiola last term as Ballon d’Or winning midfielder Rodri succumbed to an ACL injury in September 2024 that kept the 29-year-old Spaniard out injured for nearly the entirety of the campaign.

Kovacic was tasked with filling in for the injured Rodri in Manchester City’s number six position, with the Croatian managing the position along with Ilkay Gundogan and January signing Nico Gonzalez as the Blues managed to secure a respectable yet unsatisfactory third-place 2024-25 Premier League finish.

City conducted a sweeping shuffle of their first-team roster in the summer transfer window as Hugo Viana loosened the purse strings in his first window as director of football and spearheaded a significant clear-out and added seven new names to Guardiola’s ranks.

With two years left on his contract, Kovacic was not part of the exodus and Guardiola values how the midfielder helped Manchester City overcome their 2024-25 troubles by offering to play week-in, week-out amidst a period of turbulence on the pitch.

However, City are planning for the future and there remain question marks over whether there will be a new deal on offer past 2027 for Kovacic, who is attracting strong interest from the Serie A as he approaches the twilight of his professional career.

Milan Live are reporting that AC Milan are planning an approach for Kovacic, who could be available for as little as €10 million next summer, when he will enter the final year of his Manchester City contract.

The Italian giants are shortlisting potential replacements for the ageing Luka Modric, who turned 40 in September, and are eyeing a swoop for Kovacic, who could be tempted by the prospect of succeeding his compatriot at the San Siro next summer.

Manchester City would ideally be tempted to cash in on a player beyond 30 a few years before their contract expiration but the club have allowed the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva to see out the final years of their respective contracts in recent seasons.

It remains to be seen where former Inter man Kovacic stands on a possible move to the Rossoneri in 2026 as much would hinge on how much the Croatian features for Manchester City as the season progresses – having only recently returned to action following a lengthy injury lay-off.