Overview

• Mateo Kovacic underwent Achilles tendon surgery on June 2 and faces a three-month recovery that rules him out of Manchester City’s FIFA Club World Cup campaign in the USA and the opening weeks of the Premier League season.
• Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic confirmed that initial conservative treatment failed and that Kovacic’s rehabilitation will sideline him for upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
• Manchester City have accelerated talks to sign AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders in time for the Club World Cup as they reshape a depleted central engine.
• Rodri is on track to return from anterior cruciate ligament surgery for the tournament, offering a timely boost to City’s midfield depth.
• Pep Guardiola is weighing major squad adjustments, with Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan among those linked with exits as City streamline their midfield options.