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What's the rumour?
As per reports from Manchester Evening News, Manchester United have entered the race to land Real Madrid midfielder, Mateo Kovacic. United is allegedly one of four clubs (along with Juventus, Inter Milan and Tottenham Hotspur) currently keeping tabs on the Croatian star.
In case you didn't know...
As much as it has been a difficult 2017/18 campaign for Real Madrid, its been twice the struggle for Kovacic as he has had minimal playing time on the pitch. The 23-year-old has had limited opportunities and managed to make only 7 La Liga appearances out of his 16 overall appearances this season for the Spanish giants.
However, incidentally, Kovacic was given a starting role in huge games against rivals Atletico Madrid and Barcelona earlier in the season.
The heart of the matter
Kovacic was a questionable signing in the summer of 2015. Since his arrival, the Croatian hasn't been a regular in the starting 11 and has found it hard to cement his place in the lineup with the competition for places around him.
With excessive competition around him this season due to the arrival of Dani Ceballos from Real Betis in the summer, Kovacic has visibly fallen down the pecking order at Real. There have been multiple situations this season where he hasn't even made it to the bench on Matchdays.
Rumour probability/rating: 9/10
Real Madrid will not be easy to negotiate with during the summer transfer window as Real will be resistant to sell Kovacic.
Manchester United have the financial power to land anyone of their choice, and Kovacic will definitely prosper with a move away from the Bernebau and would immediately become a starter.
However, Real Madrid could use this situation to their advantage and have David De Gea included in a swap deal, a goalkeeper they have been linked with for years now.
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Author's take
Frankly, Kovacic will surely benefit with a move away from the Spanish capital irrespective of the league or the club. He will be one of the men who will definitely be in demand and Manchester United will face stiff competition for him. He is just 23-years-old and a move to a new club will definitely help him in reviving his career.
At United, he will go straight into the starting lineup and will be the perfect partner to complement Nemanja Matic. He has got all the attributes of a midfielder to succeed in the Premier League and would be a welcome addition to their squad.
