Real Madrid loanee Matteo Kovacic has refused to give a confirmation about his long-term committment to Chelsea, with the Blues’ fans wanting him to remain at the Bridge, as he has really fit into their team. The player who is on a season-long loan with the west London side, is still owned by European champions Real Madrid and is expected to return to the Bernabeu at the end of the current campaign, unless there is a change of plan.

The La Liga giants have been themselves struggling to make an impression under new manager Julen Lopetegui and just lost 5-1 to Barcelona at the Nou Camp, in the recently concluded El Classico. With that being said, the future of the Real Madrid manager is now in doubt and the Spaniard could be possibly replaced by former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, though a few others have applied for the job as well.

The Londoners are in need of more talented stars and might try to convince their former main-man to let leave him permanently and remain at the Bridge with them, where he has seen his recent success. Kovacic might also want to stay at Chelsea, as he has been given a lot more game time and has started quite a lot of games this term.

Despite all these stories, the player has not yet confirmed what his final decision will be, with regards to staying in England on a permanent basis.

Though Maurizio Sarri and co. will want to stay at west London, it will not be easy to convince Los Blancos, who are in need of every top quality player that they can get. They would not want to lose the Croatian international this easily, as he can help them recover from their slump and win more titles in the near future.

He has really added a positive dimension to the Chelsea midfield now, which has been quite evident since the start of the new campaign. Also, he managed to over-shadow Ross Barkley at the start of the season, though the England international has now managed to leave his mark as well.

If Kovacic does decide to stay at the club, he will have to fight for a regular place in the playing eleven. The reason Sarri is at present rotating and preferring to play Barkley is because he is the man in goal-scoring form and will be surely at the club, unless they decide to sell him.

If Kovacic would make such a committment and assure Sarri and the fans of his stay, he might get more game-time, from now until the end of the current campaign. If that does not happen, then it will be up to the Italian manager’s discretion, as to how and when he wants to use the World Cup star.

There is no doubt that the midfielder is really talented and has proven to be a real asset to Sarri’s side. However, the former Napoli boss must look at the long-term future of his team and thus has decided to give the 24 year old Barkley more opportunities in recent times, who has managed to fulfill his expectations.