Italian news outlet, Football Italia has reported that Real Madrid’s Mateo Kovacic might make a club exit in the summer for Serie A outfit, AS Roma. The player’s agent, Nikky Vuksan has not ruled out the move which has sparked speculations over his future with the Galacticos. When asked about the possible transfer, Vuksan said, “I would prefer not to answer that… Let’s say, no comment.”
Kovacic is just 23 years old and is one of the figures in the Real Madrid set up who is expected to succeed his compatriot, Luka Modric in the heart of the park. Currently, he is below the pecking order and has registered only 832 minutes of game time this season under Zinedine Zidane. Even though the Frenchman rotates the midfield trio around the domestic and European competitions, it is hard for Kovacic to break into the first team ahead of Casameiro, Isco and Toni Kroos at the moment.
Real Madrid’s 2-2 draw to Levante last night will give you a picture of the struggle they are going through in the La Liga. The mental fatigue after two Champions League winning seasons is quite evident and Zidane is trying to instil energy and motivation into the side. While giving youngsters like Achraf Hakimi, Marcos Asensio and Borja Mayoral valuable minutes on the pitch is well on his agenda, maybe Kovacic is better off biding his time with the Galacticos for the time being.
The Croatian international is well accustomed to Serie A football having played for Inter Milan before making the switch to the La Liga. He arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2015 for €30m after playing two seasons with the Black and Blues. A versatile presence in the heart of the park, Kovacic is best suited to the attacking midfield role. He can play in a deep anchor position as well as on the wings.
He has been capped for the Croatia national team 38 times and is expected to appear in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Kovacic’s impressive technical abilities allow him to dribble past opposition defenders to set up his teammates at will. His development has been stagnated over the past couple of years due to a lack of regular minutes on the pitch, but still makes him one of the hottest talents in European football.
AS Roma is no longer in the race for the Serie A title having fallen 15 points behind league leaders, Napoli. They are in danger of losing Radja Nainggolan to Chelsea, even though the player wishes to stay with La Lupa. Kovacic is one of the best candidates to replace him if such a situation does arise.
