Chelsea have been given a major boost in the pursuit of Mateo Kovacic on a permanent deal next summer after reports in Spain suggest the Croatia midfield star is no longer wanted by Real Madrid.
The Blues signed the midfielder on a season-long loan deal last summer and are expected to exploit the opportunity to sign Kovacic permanently next year. However, the Premier League giants will face competition from Tottenham Hotspur after the World Cup bronze winner impressed in his first three months in the English top flight.
Real sealed the deal for Kovacic for €30 million in 2015 and are said to be asking for more than that if they will sell him after this season. According to AS in Spain, Los Blancos are willing to trade the player after his attitude last summer when he wanted to quit the Santiago Bernabeu outfit for more minutes elsewhere.
It may not be difficult for the Blues to sign Kovacic permanently after recent transfers between the two clubs. Thibaut Courtois and Alvaro Morata have moved in opposite directions in each of the last two summer transfer windows.
