Kepa Arrizabalaga sends message to Man City ace Mateo Kovacic amid exit rumours
Bournemouth shot-stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga sent a message to Man City’s Mateo Kovacic as exit rumours surround the midfielder.
The Croatian midfielder has quietly enjoyed a good season for the recently dethroned champions of England.
Though, the same cannot be said for many of his teammates and the club as a whole, as they find themselves in the unusual position of challenging for a place in the Champions League, rather than being a contender for the title.
However, a run of seven games unbeaten in the Premier League, combined with an upcoming FA Cup final against Crystal Palace after defeating Nottingham Forest 2-0, means there is still the opportunity for success this season.
Whilst winning the sport’s oldest trophy will be the aim for this current campaign, City are expected to be busy in the coming weeks and months as they look to rebound next season.
Kepa Arrizabalaga sends message to ex-Chelsea teammate Mateo Kovacic
Celebrating his 31st birthday, Kovacic’s ex-Chelsea teammate, Arrizabalaga, shared an image of the pair from their time with the West London club on his Instagram story.
The image is of the pair holding the UEFA Super Cup after defeating Villareal on penalties in 2021.
Arrizabalaga captioned the story with a simple message that reads: “Happy birthday hermano”.
Mateo Kovacic one of six Man City stars linked with exit
Football Insider Verdict
Kovacic is one of six Man City first-teamers who could leave the club this summer, Mick Brown revealed to Football Insider exclusively at the beginning of April.
The Sky Blues were surprisingly inactive last summer, only signing Savinho and Ilkay Gundogan in a quiet transfer window.
Perhaps resting on their laurels more than they should have, Pep Guardiola’s side capitulated this season, crashing out of the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid and failing to mount any real defence of their Premier League crown.
| 2024/25 Premier League stats | Kovacic |
| Appearances | 29 |
| Starts | 23 |
| Goals | 6 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Minutes | 2,051 |
City signed Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov, and Vitor Reis in January to attempt to fix their issues.
However, the damage was already done and this season will go down as one of the most disappointing in the club’s recent history.
As such, City will likely be active early and often this summer and look likely to move on some popular players, like Kovacic, in an attempt to reclaim their place at the peak of world football.