Kovacic to Old Trafford?
Do Manchester United’s hopes of landing Real Madrid star Mateo Kovacic rest on the future of Luka Modric?
Rumours suggest the former Tottenham playmaker Modric is a target for Inter Milan and could join Cristiano Ronaldo in Italy. If he does that might mean a change of plan for Kovacic.
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The 24-year-old Croat didn’t get much game time at Madrid last season, and he made plain his disquiet at warming the Bernabeu bench.
Behind Modric, Casemiro and Toni Kroos in the pecking order, Kovacic, who joined Real in 2015, was widely expected to move on this summer having made just ten starts in La Liga last season.
Chelsea are also known to be interested in the midfielder, reports The Sun, but Jose Mourinho is reportedly ready to table a £54m bid for Kovacic, a member of the Croatia squad that reached last month’s World Cup final.
But Modric moving to Inter could scupper United’s plan, with Kovacic then likely to remain at the club for at least another season to see if he can become a first-team regular under new Real Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui.
Napoli swap
Might United be able to strike a deal with Napoli before the transfer window closes next week? According to the Daily Star the Red Devils “are considering a late summer swoop for Napoli star Dries Mertens”.
Reports suggest that Napoli may be “willing” to let the 31-year-old go, and although Italian outlet TMW says the Belgian could be Mourinho’s if “an offer in excess of £35m came in”, there may be an alternative.
Calciomercato.com reports that Sky Italia claim Napoli are “looking to sign” a defender in the coming days and it’s a choice between United’s Matteo Darmian and Tottenham right-back Serge Aurier.
Ivorian Aurier’s problem concerns his non-EU player restriction, so Darmian is looking the likeliest option and that would fit nicely with Mourinho’s wish to sign Mertens.
Closing in on Mina
Finally, Metro is one of several newspapers to report that United are close to sealing the deal for Barcelona defender Yerry Mina.
The paper states that the club’s transfer negotiator, Matt Judge, has “touched down in Spain to iron out a £35m move”. Barca are ready to offload their Colombian central defender, and have told Judge that they will drop their initial asking price of £44m in order to clinch the deal.
