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Chelsea have decided to turn the loan deal of Croatian midfielder Matteo Kovačić into a permanent move, and are ready to sign the 25-year old permanently for £45 million from Real Madrid.
Despite the fact that Chelsea are facing a two-window transfer ban, a loopholein the regulations means that they are able to sign Kovačić to a full-time deal. That is because the player is currently registered with the club until his loan deal expires.
Gonzalo Higuain is in a similar position, but the club are not interested in a similar arrangement for him, and he is free to return to his parent club Juventus.
Chelsea now need to get the deal concluded fast. Kovačić’s loan deal expires at midnight on Sunday, and all the formalities need to be concluded by then. The Croat was brought to the club on loan by Maurizio Sarri last season and made 32 Premier League appearances for the club, although he did not find the net once.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.