Mateo Kovacic has revealed he recommended his Croatia team-mate Josko Gvardiol to Chelsea during the club’s record-breaking summer spending spree.
New Blues owner Todd Boehly spent more than £250m on new signings over the summer, bringing the likes of Raheem Sterling, Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea also expressed interest in RB Leipzig defender Gvardiol and spoke to Kovacic about his compatriot as they considered a move for the £77m-rated star.
‘At the club, they asked me about Josko, I told them all the best,’ Kovacic said ahead of Chelsea’s opening Champions League clash against Dinamo Zagreb in his native Croatia.
‘I don’t need to say anything about his football, they know what kind of player he is, and his character is excellent.
‘I have seen in the national team how eager he is to play, he has a great career ahead of him, and I hope that one day we will play together in the club.’
Kovacic and Gvardiol both started their careers at Dinamo Zagreb, with Kovacic enjoying spells at Inter Milan and Real Madrid before joining Chelsea in 2019 and Gvardiol moving to Leipzig a year later.
Kovacic missed the start of the season with an injury but has featured in Chelsea’s last three games, starting Saturday’s 2-1 win over London rivals West Ham.
Discussing his fitness issues, Kovacic said: ‘I’m getting better, I had some problems with my knee after national team and pre-season.
‘It was a tough pre-season for me but I’m recovered now and getting better day by day. I need to get my match fitness back but games and training are there for that. So I’m looking forward to getting better every day.’
Kovacic also warned his Chelsea team-mates to expect a ‘difficult’ opening Champions League fixture as they look to return from Zagreb with three points.
He added: ‘Dinamo is growing day by day. The work here is phenomenal, I know that from experience.
‘It will be difficult to play at Maksimir tomorrow, it will not be easy. I hope we will be ready.’
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