According to reports in Spain, Barcelona are ready to make a shock bid to try to land Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic. The 23-year-old has been frustrated at his lack of regular first-team football at the Santiago Bernabeu, despite reassurances from coach Zinedine Zidane that he will continue to figure in his plans next season and that he could become the long-term replacement for Luka Modric.
 

New Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde has been impressed with what he has seen however and Don Balon states that he is considering an audacious move to try to convince their bitter rivals to let him come to the Camp Nou.
 

Despite these repots however, Barcelona’s main priority remains Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti who has been linked with a £100M move to the Catalan giants. Negotiations have started although there is still a long way to go before any agreement will be reached.