Real Madrid set to offload £21m midfielder

Real Madrid flop Mateo Kovacic could be heading to the Premier League and Tottenham Hotspur is a likely destination even as the Spanish giants look to raise funds to buy Monaco teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe. Valued at just over £21 million, Kovacic has played a bit part with Real Madrid since arriving from Inter Milan in August 2015. Madrid paid just over £26m for him at the time of his arrival, but Kovacic has failed to make a major impact with the club.

The Croatian played 27 times from Madrid in La Liga last term, scoring once and assisting three goals. Only 19 of Kovacic’s appearances were starts as he had difficulty holding down a place in the side. Real Madrid are about to capture Real Betis midfielder Dani Ceballos, which will make Kovacic expendable. The team are in the market for Mbappe and want to free up funds to pursue the youngster that has attracted interest from teams across the continent.