Latest News About Mateo Kovačić

Here’s the latest on Mateo Kovačić as of May 2026.

• Club status and injuries: Kovacic has had several injury setbacks in recent years, including Achilles and heel issues that required surgery and sidelined him for extended periods. Most recently, reports around 2025–2026 discussed him undergoing heel surgery with a return anticipated in the latter part of the season, though exact timelines can vary by source. These injury cycles have affected his availability and playing time with his club during the 2024–25 and 2025–26 windows. This pattern has influenced his role in midfield rotations when fit [source coverage includes FOX Sports and other outlets tracking his injury timeline, with notes on surgery and expected returns].[1]

• Team context: During his time at Manchester City, Kovacic has been valued for his experience and ball-retention in midfield, contributing as a rotational option when fit. Injury interruptions have impacted his continuity and selection, especially with squad depth and competition for midfield slots.[1]

• Historical context: Kovacic has had a long club and international career, with notable spells at Chelsea and Real Madrid before joining Manchester City. His career has been marked by phases of regular playing time when healthy, punctuated by injuries in recent seasons.[3]

• Notable recent notes: Media coverage in 2025 highlighted his Achilles surgery and the impact on his participation in events like the Club World Cup, with expectations that he would aim to be ready for the start of the 2025–26 season after rehabilitation. There are other outlets that periodically refresh news on his status and potential transfer talk, though no definitive, universally agreed long-term move has been confirmed in this window.[2][5][1]

Would you like a concise bullet-point briefing focused on:

• exact injury timelines and expected return dates from multiple outlets,
• his current contract and club status,
• or a short table comparing the latest reported updates from different sources? I can also pull a few recent headline summaries if you want.

Note: If you’d prefer, I can fetch the latest headlines directly and summarize them with explicit citations.