Barcelona technical committee member Arideo Braida was in Milan on Sunday with a view to enquiring about signing Inter midfielder Mateo Kovacic, according to Catalan daily Sport.
Still only 20 years old, Kovacic has become a midfield mainstay for the Italian giants and in his 37 appearances in all competitions this season, he has scored eight times and assisted a further two goals for his team-mates.
Barcelona are currently facing a transfer ban imposed by FIFA that will remain in effect until the winter transfer window, which may affect Kovacic’s decision to sign for the Catalan outfit. If his signing goes through, he might be loaned back to Inter until the transfer embargo is lifted.
To smooth the deal, Barcelona could offer Pedro Rodriguez or Alex Song, who is currently on a season-long loan to Premier League outfit West Ham United, to acquire the Croatian.
Barcelona need a replacement for Xavi Hernandez, who is already 35 and is reported to be leaving at the end of the current season for Qatari outfit Al Sadd.
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The highly rated Croat could be an ideal replacement for Xavi in Barcelona’s midfield.
However, it has been claimed that Inter will look to use Kovacic as a bargaining chip with Manchester City to take Yaya Toure to the San Siro.
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