REAL MADRID will demand Chelsea pay £42million for on loan midfielder Mateo Kovacic, according to reports in Spain.
Kovacic arrived at Stamford Bridge in the summer after Real signed rebel keeper Thibaut Courtois and included the Croatian playmaker in the deal.
Spanish outlet Elconfidencial report that new Santiago Bernabeu boss Zinedine Zidane will offload all on loan players permanently – with Kovacic rated at £42m.
Chelsea are however, still in the process of battling a two-year transfer after being found guilty of breaching Fifa rules over 29 youth players.
The Blues are set to go to the court of appeal in order to fight the ban, though it is likely the punishment will remain.
It will leave Kovacic’s future in doubt, as his days in Madrid look numbered having been an irregular feature in their setup since his 2015 move from Inter Milan.
Blues boss Maurizio Sarri has favoured the World Cup finalist, however, handing Kovacic 40 appearances this season in the Chelsea three man midfield.
The 24-year-old has missed out on just three of Chelsea’s league games this term, failing to score a single goal, however.
Real bosses will not only look to offload the Croatian, but also attacking midfielder James Rodriguez, who looks set to complete a permanent move away from Madrid.
The Colombian has spent the last two seasons on loan with Bayern Munich, as the German champions sealed a deal to pay Real £6m a season for Rodriguez’s services.
Real are set to put a £60m price tag on the 27-year-old, with no offer of under £50m reportedly feasible.
Source: Read Full Article