Chelsea make transfer approach for want-away star also pursued by Manchester United

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Chelsea and Manchester United could be set to do battle for the transfer of a central midfielder this summer, according to latest reports.

It’s being claimed by Gianluca Di Marzio that the Blues have made an approach to ask about signing Mateo Kovacic from Real Madrid to bolster their options in the middle of the park.

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The Croatia international has not always been a regular at Madrid and seems a likely contender for the Bernabeu exit door this summer as other clubs are also linked.

Don Balon recently linked Kovacic with Manchester United as well after the player himself admitted he wanted to leave Los Blancos.

‘I want to play more and the best thing is to leave Madrid,’ Kovacic recently told Marca.

Chelsea have reportedly asked about the transfer of Mateo Kovacic

One imagines Chelsea or United would have little trouble giving Kovacic the kind of playing time he craves.

The 24-year-old would be an ideal like-for-like replacement for the retiring Michael Carrick at Old Trafford, while Chelsea could also do with replacing some recent flop signings in that area.

Tiemoue Bakayoko and Danny Drinkwater both joined last summer but have struggled, with the Telegraph reporting the Blues are looking to sell the latter for around £30million.

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