Atletico Madrid have made “concrete steps” to sign Mateo Kovacic from Manchester City, according to reports.
TEAMtalk claim that the La Liga side have been in contact with the Croatian’s agent about a possible move to Spain at the end of the season.
It is believed that Atletico are looking to offload some players in order to make room for Kovacic.
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However, their interest in the 30-year-old is said to be serious and they could well push to secure his signature over the coming weeks and months.
City have set an asking price
TEAMtalk report that Pep Guardiola’s side value Kovacic at €30m (£25m), which is the exact same figure that the club paid when they purchased him from Chelsea at the start of last campaign.
That is a rather optimistic asking price, considering the midfielder’s age, and Atletico are likely to table a bid significantly below that amount.
Guardiola wants to refresh the midfield
Kovacic’s departure after two seasons would not be at all surprising. Although he has had some good games since his move from Stamford Bridge, he doesn’t really fit the mould of an archetypal Guardiola midfielder.
He likes to keep the ball, break the press and run from deep into open spaces. He has decent technical ability but he doesn’t possess the same quality on the ball as other midfielders who have played for City in the past.
It seems that Guardiola is keen to revamp the middle of the pitch, and Kovacic is not part of his plans. In terms of potential replacements. Several players have been linked.
Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga has been mentioned, along with the likes of Atalanta’s Ederson and Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes but it remains to be seen who is the club’s top target.
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