Manchester City eyeing up double transfer swoop for Chelsea duo

Manchester City have already started planning for the signings they're going to make in the summer, identifying two Chelsea players as the ideal targets to bolster their squad even further.

Defensively, City are somewhat depleted with the departure of Joao Cancelo in the January transfer window to Bayern Munich, while players such as Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan reportedly want to leave the club at the end of the season, too.

Space will therefore be freed up in the midfield if both Silva and Gundogan get their wishes and depart the Etihad Stadium at the end of the campaign, but Pep Guardiola already knows which replacements he wants to bring in to add quality to the aforementioned positions.

In midfield, Manchester City are keen on a move for Croatian Mateo Kovacic, whose contract at Chelsea expires in the summer of 2024. 

With just a year left on his deal come the transfer window, the 28-year-old will likely be available for a cut-price - especially when considering the Blues need to make sales in order to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations following a tremendous amount of spending in the last two windows.

Guardiola is said to be a big admirer of Kovacic, with City willing to make a move for him, according to the Telegraph. 

Kovacic signed for Chelsea initially on loan from Real Madrid in 2018, before making the move permanent a year later.

Meanwhile, a move for Ben Chilwell is also on the cards for Manchester City, as per reports from Football Insider.

City reportedly attempted to sign the left-back in 2020, prior to his move to Chelsea, but he has struggled for fitness this season after suffering a lengthy hamstring injury. 

Chilwell's contract at Stamford Bridge runs until 2025, though, meaning City would have to offer a lot more to secure his services. Signed from Leicester City in 2020 for £50 million, Chilwell went on to win the Champions League in his first campaign.