Liverpool look set to go head-to-head with Arsenal in the race to sign Inter Milan ace Mateo Kovacic, dubbed the new Luka Modric, according to the Metro.
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Brendan Rodgers is adept at nurturing young talent, and with Raheem Sterling’s future uncertain, the Reds are eyeing a move for the 20-year-old at the end of the season.
Kovacic has been strongly linked with Arsenal, with the Serie A giants reportedly open to selling the youngster for a fee around £18m, and the potential lure of Champions League football at the Emirates Stadium could be enough to sway the Croatia international’s head, ahead of Liverpool.
The future looks bleak for Inter, as they languish mid-table, and look certain to miss out on Champions League football for another season, and boss Roberto Mancini knows that he needs a serious squad re-shape to get the club back among Europe’s elite.
The Italian outfit accept that they could lose their star players in the summer, and they would rather lose Kovacic, than the highly sought-after Mauro Icardi, with the 22-year-old their top scorer with 17 goals.