Man City rocked by Mateo Kovacic injury blow as major triple transfer lined up | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola without key player for whole Club World Cup campaign but new signings are coming

Sidelined: Mateo Kovacic will miss the entire Club World Cup for Manchester City after undergoing Achilles surgery

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Manchester City will be without Mateo Kovacic for the entirety of their Club World Cup campaign, but reinforcements look to be on the way soon.

The Croatian midfielder has undergone surgery on an Achilles injury and will play no part as Pep Guardiola’s side travel to the United States for the inaugural edition of the expanded 32-team FIFA tournament that begins later this month.

The absence of a key midfield option in Kovacic is a considerable blow for City, who ended up finishing a difficult campaign sitting third in the Premier League table as their historic run of four consecutive title triumphs was finally ended, also losing the FA Cup final to Crystal Palace and not advancing far in either the Champions League or Carabao Cup.

They will head to the USA hoping to be in contention for victory in a competition they previously won under the old format in Saudi Arabia back in 2023, beginning their Group G campaign against Moroccan club Wydad AC in Philadelphia on June 18.

City then travel to meet Abu Dhabi-based side Al Ain in Atlanta on June 22, before facing Juventus in Orlando on June 26.

The absence of Kovacic should at least be partly offset by the return of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, who looks ready to play in the tournament after making his return from anterior cruciate ligament surgery off the bench in the penultimate game of the Premier League season against Bournemouth last month.

Help on the way: Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Tijjani Reijnders are all expected to join Man City soon

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The likes of Erling Haaland, Nathan Ake and Oscar Bobb have all returned for City over recent weeks after injury, though John Stones has been out since February with a thigh problem and it remains to be seen if he can play a part at the Club World Cup, having now joined up with the England squad to continue his rehabilitation but not considered fit enough to play against either Andorra or Senegal.

City appear busy on the transfer front after a 10-day mini-window introduced ahead of the Club World Cup officially opened on Sunday, with reports over the weekend that they are closing in on the signings of Lyon winger Rayan Cherki and AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders.

The Athletic also claimed on Monday that City were pursuing a deal for Rayan Ait-Nouri of Wolves as Guardiola looks to significantly bolster his full-back options on both sides this summer.