TRANSFER NEWS ….

KOVACIC

Manchester City have signed Croatia midfielder Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea for an initial £25million.

The deal for the 29-year-old is also worth a possible £5m in add-ons and he has signed a four-year contract.

Kovacic is City’s first signing of the summer after they won the Treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup titles last season.

“This is a brilliant move for me, and I cannot wait to get started with City,” said Kovacic.

His arrival follows the club announcing Ilkay Gundogan’s free transfer to Barcelona, while City have had a £90m bid – thought to have included an £80m initial payment – for England midfielder Declan Rice rejected by West Ham.

VICARIO

Tottenham have signed Italian goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario from Serie A side Empoli on a five-year contract.

He is the second signing under new manager Ange Postecoglou, after Sweden midfielder Dejan Kulusevski turned his loan spell into a permanent move.

Vicario, 26, impressed in his two years at Empoli, earning a first international call-up last season.

Spurs captain and current number one Hugo Lloris has 12 months left on his contract.

Vicario is described by the north London club as a “commanding goalkeeper with the ability to play out from the back”.

He started his career at Udinese and had spells at Cagliari, Perugia and Venezia before joining Empoli in July 2021 following their promotion to Serie A.

Empoli were expected to be battling against relegation but the 6ft 4in keeper has helped them to consecutive 14th-place finishes.

LOFTUS-CHEEK 

Chelsea midfielder, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, is close to joining Italian giants AC Milan. The 27-year-old, who has 10 England caps, has been at Stamford Bridge since he was a youth player and has also had loans at Crystal Palace and Fulham.

In his time at Chelsea he has won two Premier League titles, the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Super CUP

A handful of players have left Chelsea this summer as the west London club look to balance the books.

Kalidou Koulibaly’s move to Saudi Arabia side Al-Hilal was completed on Sunday. N’Golo Kante has signed for Saudi champions Al-Ittihad, while team-mate Edouard Mendy is close to joining Al-Ahli.

Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount has been linked with a move to Manchester United, who have had several bids turned down for him, while midfielder Kai Havertz is close to joining Arsenal.