Mateo Kovacic has emerged as a summer target for Liverpool, writes Spanish publication Defensa Central.
The 21-year-old arrived at Bernabeu stadium last summer from Inter Milan, but since Zinedine Zidane took over from Rafa Benitez, he’s found minutes hard to come by – with the legendary Frenchman preferring Casemiro, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in a midfield three.
The report suggests that Jurgen Klopp and his team have earmarked the Croat for a summer move, and are willing to pay ‘precisely’ €30m for his services.
Targeting top clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich for excellent players who can’t quite get in their first-teams is sensible. Arsenal acquired Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez in this manner, while United managed to get Angel di Maria, whose performances in France and Europe prove they failed to get the best out of him rather than that he’s a poor player.
Liverpool are also targeting Mario Gotze, out of favour in Germany, and it’s this kind of deal we should be pursuing – rather than paying extortionate fees for mid-table Premier League players – such as Christian Benteke for example.
Kovacic is a barnstorming box-to-box midfielder with superb feet and the potential to develop into one of Europe’s best. He can dribble, pass and shoot powerfully from range, and has the natural physical build to provide strength centrally.
We hope this transfer rumour has legs, as Koavacic is the kind of pedigree player who can evolve under Klopp.