Scouting Real Madrid Transfer Target Ante Coric

Real Madrid are considering a move for young Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Ante Coric in the current January transfer window, according to Javier Silles of AS. 

Coric, who's just 18 years of age, is already a prominent figure for the Croatian outfit, having made 26 appearances in all competitions this season under manager Zoran Mamic.

Coric, considered to be among his country's brightest talents, has also been a regular member of Croatia's youth teams, and though he's contracted to his current club until 2020, the midfielder expressed his intention to depart the Stadion Maksimir at a press conference in November: "It's over. I want to leave Dinamo," he said. 

According to AS, Real Madrid have made contact with the player's agent, with the club intent on continuing a transfer policy focused on acquiring Europe's finest young stars:

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AS understands that Real have already been in touch with the player's agent, Andy Bara, and that scouts have been sent to watch Coric in several games, although a concrete bid is yet to be made.

Madrid's interest is in line with the club's policy of snapping up the best young talent available, as was the case with Marco Asensio, Martin Odegaard and Jesus Vallejo. The idea is to seal a pre-deal for Coric ahead of a summer move to the Bernabeu, but the spectre of a potential FIFA sanction for alleged irregularities in the signing of youth players could see the move pushed through sooner. If Coric is signed, he will likely be loaned out straight away.

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Here, we take a take at look at Coric's qualities and how his immediate future might unfold if he were to sign for Madrid. 

Technical Playmaker

Coric is an out-and-out attacking midfielder, who's drawn comparisons with countryman and current Real Madrid star Luka Modric. 

Small in stature like Modric, Coric is a very technical type whose primary strengths are his mazy dribbling and diverse passing range.

Here's a look at his qualities:  

Possessing fantastic agility, quick feet and an ability to shift the ball rapidly from one side of his body to the other, the Croatian is capable of skipping by an opponent—sometimes two or three, in fact—to break down defensive lines and carve out scoring chances for team-mates.

To do so, however, Coric tends to need a running start. Not a powerful runner or an explosive athlete, the teenager likes to push up into central midfield to collect the ball in space, before turning to run at his opponents.

Essentially, he requires momentum behind him, as he lacks the raw acceleration to blow by opponents from static positions. 

When drifting from attacking midfield to central midfield, the Dinamo starlet's passing range is also highlighted.

When finding pockets of space between the lines, Coric is capable of sliding balls into the channels, chipping the opposing back four and producing subtle flicks and one-twos; when he's deeper, he can hit long diagonal passes and the occasional formation-splitting ball—which is why his set-piece delivery is also effective. 

As such, Coric is a rather classic playmaker, but that comes with familiar weaknesses. As mentioned above, he's not yet a strong athlete, and his slight frame means he can be pushed off the ball rather easily at times.

His defensive contribution is also questionable—his lack of size and strength inherently plays into this—while he can be over-reliant on his right side, too, often preferring to use the outside of his right boot to pass and cross when drifting out to the left flank. 

Likely Path at Real Madrid

If Coric were to land at Real Madrid in January, he'd almost certainly be loaned out immediately. Madrid's preferred destination for the teenager likely to be a smaller club in La Liga. 

In such circumstances, Los Blancos would be able to give the Croatian valuable experience in a league unsurpassed for technical quality, and his progress would be more closely monitored at another Spanish outfit. 

As we've seen already this season, a move of this sort can yield great results for players like Coric. Indeed, at Espanyol, Real Madrid's Marco Asensio is thriving in his first La Liga season, while Barcelona's Alen Halilovic is enjoying a breakout season of his own at Sporting Gijon. Both share a number of qualities with Coric. 

With those precedents in mind, one suspects Coric wouldn't be short of suitors either. At present, the likes of Levante, Las Palmas and Real Betis could really benefit from added invention in midfield, and taking a talented youngster on loan from Real Madrid would be a low-cost way of doing so.  

Playmaking Overload?

Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images

Real Madrid's plan at present is abundantly clear: Round up Europe's hottest young talents, loan them out, allow them to develop and then steadily integrate into the first team at the Bernabeu. 

In theory it's a sound plan, but with the club's recent acquisitions it appears as though a playmaking overload might be being approached at Real Madrid. 

In addition to Asensio, Madrid also signed Norwegian starlet Martin Odegaard midway though last season. At 19 and 17, respectively, both players are similar to Coric, and at essentially to same age too, will be competing for the same positions at the same time.

And remember, the men who already fulfil such a role at Madrid in Isco and James Rodriguez are still only in their early 20s. 

Admittedly, Asensio, who's a stronger runner and a better all-round athlete, could be moulded into a wide attacker, but at Espanyol this season, the star from last summer's under-19 European Championship has seen his development take place almost exclusively in a No. 10 role.

As such, competition for Coric would be fierce.  

Quotes on Coric, per UEFA.com

• Zoran Mamic, Dinamo Zagreb manager: "Ante is a treasure for our club. He is a greater talent than Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic were at his age."

• Zdravko Mamic, Dinamo Zagreb president: "He is still just a kid and he is attracting so much acclaim from the stands. He is better than Zvonimir Boban or Robert Prosinecki were at the same stage. I am impressed."