Manchester City are closing in on making Chelsea star Mateo Kovacic their first signing of the summer transfer window.
09.06.2023 - 05:17 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Of all the sub-plots in Saturday's Champions League final, the return of Edin Dzeko to the minds of Manchester City fans is one of the more intriguing.
The scorer of one of City's most important ever goals, Dzeko's legacy at the Etihad is summed up by his afternoon on May 13, 2012. Without Dzeko, City wouldn't have won the Premier League for the first time. They wouldn't have seven Premier League titles to their name, and maybe they wouldn't have reached two Champions League finals in the relatively short timeframe that they have since that famous day 11 years ago.
Dzeko's injury-time equaliser against QPR gave City hope of the impossible that day, but it would be Sergio Aguero who rightly took the headlines from the most dramatic end to a season imaginable. Just as it was for his entire four-year spell at City, Dzeko was forced to live in Aguero's shadow.
The Bosnian has spoken of his relationship with City - from their fans to former teammates and ex-managers - in the language of an ex-partner. Dzeko left on loan after the partnership soured, although there remains a mutual respect between player and club. Now, as they prepare to reunite for the first time, few would have expected their paths to cross again in the Champions League final on Saturday.
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The respect for Dzeko from the City side comes from his 72 goals in 189 appearances, which represents a mightily impressive return from a striker forever battling with someone like Aguero. Add his 38 assists, and Dzeko contributed a goal every 0.77 games, or every 100 minutes. Only seven players have scored more goals for City in the Premier League, and he helped
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