Manchester City could be about to get rid of one of their summer signings, with interest from abroad.
The Treble winners have fluctuated in form over the first few months of the season, starting the campaign strongly before three draws in a row in the Premier League. Manager Pep Guardiola is keen to return to winning ways, with a tricky-looking fixture against Aston Villa away tomorrow night.
But one star who perhaps hoped to be integral to the Catalan has blown hot and cold – and may leave sooner than expected.
According to TV100, Turkish champions Galatasaray are keen to arrange a loan deal for midfielder Mateo Kovacic, who only moved to the Etihad in June. Kovacic had spent five seasons at Chelsea, making more than 200 appearances for the club in all competitions, before joining Manchester City this summer.
Despite the absence of Kevin De Bruyne, competition for places has limited him to just six starts in the Premier League. Pep Guardiola has a wealth of options to choose from in midfield, including Rodri, Rico Lewis, Bernardo Silva, Matheus Nunes and Julian Alvarez.
As a result, Kovacic has found his playing time limited and been unable to make a strong impression on his new team. Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk has reportedly identified the Croatian international as an ideal signing and is keen to pursue a loan move.
Their squad already features several former Premier League players, such as Davinson Sanchez, Lucas Torreira, Hakim Ziyech and Wilfried Zaha.
Galatasaray are currently second in the Turkish Super Lig, level on points with leaders Fenerbahce, and still in with a chance of progressing to the knockout stage of the Champions League.
An entertaining 3-3 draw at home to Manchester United, in which Hakim Ziyech scored a brace, leaves them third in their group, knowing that a win against FC Copenhagen would secure their progress to the last 16.
But the prospect of more game time is unlikely to be enough to persuade Kovacic to leave Man City, even on loan.
Guardiola's side have a busy schedule of their own and rotation will surely be needed to enable them to compete on multiple fronts once more.
