Barcelona technical committee member Ariedo Braida has confirmed that the club are no longer in pursuit of Liverpool target Mateo Kovacic.

The Catalan giants were believed to be in the chase for the Croatian midfielder this summer but their transfer ban until January, coupled with the signature of Aleix Vidal, has forced them to abandon the chase for the Inter man.




Despite Inter’s willingness to let the player leave, Braida confirmed that Kovacic is no longer a Barcelona target and was quoted as saying by Catalan daily Sport: “Kovacic is not in our plans.

“We can’t sign any other player until January and we already have Aleix Vidal.”
 


The news clears the field for Liverpool, who are actively seeking to take the Croatian international to Anfield and are said to be in advanced negotiations with Inter.

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However, they have so far failed to agree a fee with the Nerazzurri, who are keen to receive a transfer fee of around €25m to €30m for the 21-year-old midfielder.

Liverpool’s latest offer is believed to be around €23m and the club are also said to have explored the option of offering Mario Balotelli as makeweight in the deal for Kovacic, which Inter have rejected.

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