Julen Lopetegui Says Mateo Kovacic Wants to Leave Real Madrid, Eyes Replacement

Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui has confirmed that Mateo Kovacic wants to leave the Santiago Bernabeu amid strong links to Chelsea. 

The new Los Blancos boss hinted he is reluctant to let the Croatian midfielder go, but said the club would need to find a similar quality replacement if he does depart, per James Tyler of ESPN.co.uk: 

"There's nothing 100 per cent certain. Mateo has said he wants to leave, I've said he is an important player. If he wants to leave, we'll look to find solutions. ... Obviously if Mateo does leave, we'd look for players of his level. We need to have a balanced team, and he's an important player."

Kovacic, 24, has struggled for first-team action since he joined Real from Inter Milan for €29 million in 2015.

He has started only 37 La Liga games in three seasons, which is not a huge surprise given he is competing for places with Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.

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He looks a natural successor to his compatriot Modric, 32, in the middle of the park at the Bernabeu, but he seems to have run out of patience with having to warm the bench.

There is a resolution that could potentially benefit all parties, though, and it has reportedly been tabled by Chelsea.

According to Simon Johnson of the Evening Standard, the Blues are keen to sign Kovacic on loan, with an option to buy next summer, and he will undergo a medical on Wednesday. 

Under Maurizio Sarri at Stamford Bridge, Kovacic would likely get a lot more game time as part of a three-man midfield with N'Golo Kante and Jorginho.

At the end of the 2018-19 season he could then either return to Madrid, where first-team opportunities would likely be more regular with Modric nearing 34, or remain in west London.