Chelsea have announced they have signed Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic on a permanent deal.
The Croatia international has penned a five-year deal running until the summer of 2024 after Chelsea agreed a reported £40m fee with Madrid.
Despite being under a FIFA-imposed transfer ban, Chelsea have managed to sign Kovacic as the midfielder was registered to the club prior to the ruling being enforced.
Kovacic spent last season on loan at Stamford Bridge but was considered a relative disappointment and it was unclear whether the Blues would push to bring him back to the club.
However, Chelsea have been left with little choice but to splash out on Kovacic due to the fact Ruben Loftus-Cheek will miss the start of next season and they cannot currently sign anyone else.
The 25-year-old struggled to nail down a regular starting berth in the Premier League last season, making just 21 starts in the competition.
Chelsea are expected to appoint former midfielder Frank Lampard as Maurizio Sarri’s successor and it remains to be seen how Kovacic will fit into his plans.
Of players that started at least 10 Premier League matches for Chelsea last season, Kovacic had the worst WhoScored rating at the club (6.65).
