Transfer talk: Spurs’ Pochettino wants Real Madrid’s Mateo Kovacic ‘as a big recruit’

Italian and Spanish reports both point to Tottenham Hotspur eagerly eyeing former Inter Milan and current out-of-favour Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic as a summer signing.

Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic, left, shown celebrating after scoring against Malmo in the Champions League in December. Pierre-Philippe Marcou / AFP

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, Tottenham Hotspur and Sevilla "have asked" about Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic with the talented 21-year-old Croatian seem set to leave the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer.

Former Inter Milan man Kovacic was one of that club's most influential players two seasons ago, scoring five goals and assisting on another three in 35 Serie A appearances at just 20 years old.

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Madrid scooped him up last summer in a deal that was seen as potentially head-scratching – for Kovacic. Talented, but not nearly proven as world-class in the kind of way it would take to break through a Real Madrid midfield including the likes of Toni Kroos, James Rodriguez, Isco and Luka Modric, the once-quickly rising star has indeed stalled some in the Spanish capital.

Kovacic has made just seven La Liga starts and 21 appearances overall, with just two assists and not a single goal in domestic competition to his name this season. He scored his lone Real Madrid goal against Malmo in the Champions League in December.

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Calciomercato’s headline reads: “Kovacic Failure: He is already for sale” and the report goes on to state he is likely to leave Madrid after just one season and having become “an expensive reserve unable to make his mark”.

The outlet says he “probably will start again with a new team and a new project” and cites Spurs and Sevilla specifically as teams that have already probed Real Madrid about a deal.

The report also mentions the possibility he could return to Inter Milan.

Following up on that item, Spanish paper AS writes, "The reality is Kovacic arrived from Inter at Real Madrid with the appearance of a midfielder with a great future and so much as with Benitez as with Zidane, he is barely playing."

The report states that in England "he has a very good reputation" and in particular, "Pochettino of Tottenham wants him as a big recruit, thinking he can play in the Champions League next year."

Neither those around the player nor Kovacic, AS says, “would look badly at the possibility”. Already blocked and with Casemiro on the rise, “his options seem complicated”.

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“Kovacic is looking to play regularly and his final word will not depend on the economic offer, but the sporting prospects,” AS concludes.

Of course, it is reasonable to wonder if Tottenham, with the likes of Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, Erik Lamela, Mousa Dembele and Nacer Chadli already playing significant roles for the Premier League tile-chasing team, would indeed be the most fitting destination for the Croatian. In addition to those players, Spurs have younger players like Nabil Bentaleb, Ryan Mason, Josh Onomah and Tom Carroll effectively blocked in midfield, not to mention winger-forwards like Clinton N'Jie and Son Heung-min in the mix.

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