Paris St. Germain manager Unai Emery has asked the club to purchase Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic in the summer.
According to a report in Don Balon, the 45-year-old Spaniard has asked PSG Sporting Director Patrick Kluivert to bring the 22-year-old Croatian to the Parc de Princes in the summer, in a bid to provide him with more options in the middle of the park.
Emery’s massive victory against Barcelona in the Champions League has reportedly added to his ‘credibility’ at the club with the PSG hierarchy and they are now willing to listen to the Spaniard and help bring his vision of the club and his team to reality.
Kovacic’s addition would only add to an already talented young squad, comprising of the likes of Rabiot and Verratti. With Blaise Matuidi approaching 30 and Thiago Motta 34, the Ligue 1 Champions do need fresh young talent and Kovacic can prove to be a great long term option.
The report goes on to say that PSG would be willing to offer Real Madrid up to €45 million to part with Kovacic, which would bode well for Los Blancos, as it would mean that they would be making a significant profit on a player who hasn’t been able to make a large impact at the club.
Real purchased him for a reported €29 million from Inter Milan in the summer of 2015, after three promising seasons at Inter Milan. His first season at the Santiago Bernabeu was a difficult one. He would make only 34 appearances in all competitions, starting 11 and scoring only 1 goal.
He was unable to displace Luka Modric and Toni Kroos from the starting XI under Rafa Benitez, and things wouldn’t get any better after the arrival of Zinedine Zidane, who would use the now indispensable Casemiro in a 4-3-3 alongside Modric and Kroos.
The fact that Real managed to end what was a rollercoaster season as European Champions served as little consolation to the Croatian, who apart from missing the final, featured only 34 minutes in the competition after the Group stages.
After constantly being linked with a move away in the summer, he eventually decided to stay on at the club and it has seemingly paid off. Kovacic has featured far more regularly this season and has started 18 of his 28 appearances in all competitions, registering 2 goals and 2 assists in the process.
Quite a few of those starts and appearances can be attributed to the fact that Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro have all been injured at some point of the season, but the Croatian has also had to compete with the likes of Isco and James Rodriguez for a place in Zidane’s squad.
It is yet to be seen whether Los Blancos would allow the youngster to leave, even if they were to be offered such a huge amount. Isco and James have both constantly been linked with a move away from the club and Kovacic is still only 22. He still has time to grow into his potential and under the guidance of Zinedine Zidane, can be a big part of the Galacticos‘ future.
