Madrid close in on Kovacic

Kovacic is being mooted as a possible target for Real Madrid, meaning that Nasri could be signed as a potential replacement for the young Croatian midfielder.

Croatian was linked with several big clubs this summer, with Liverpool leading the line, but Reds were not willing to pay Inter’s asking price of €35m.

Kovacic was pulled out of Inter’s friendly fixture with AEK Athens on Sunday, 16 August, as he is set to join Real in the ongoing transfer window.

As relayed by Goal, former Manchester City Mancini boss stated that the transfer, along with Xherdan Shaqiri’s move to Stoke, was out of the club’s hands due to UEFA’s FFP.

The agent of VfL Wolfsburg winger Ivan Perisic admits a move to Inter Milan is at deadlock. There are rules to respect.

Mancini admits he did not want either player to leave but felt he had no choice because of the Financial Fair Play rules introduced by Uefa in a bid to stop clubs from overspending.

“We’re all sorry about it: myself, the president, the management and the players themselves”.

But even if a Kovacic bargain deal was once a thing – which again depends on who you ask – it no longer appears that the player is available for below market value.

Last season, the loss of Luka Modric to injury disrupted Madrid’s La Liga title push and a poor run of form ensued, including a two-legged Copa Del Rey loss to city-rivals Atletico Madrid.