Could Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic be Tottenham’s best possible Dembele replacement?

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Spurs are once again trying to lure Mateo Kovacic to the Premier League from La Liga giants Real Madrid.

Tottenham Hotspur tried and failed to sign Mateo Kovacic from Real Madrid last summer.

According to AS, Madrid knocked back a £22 million offer from the North London club for their talented Croatian midfielder. It was reported that Kovacic was more than happy with life at the Bernabau, despite his limited game-time and the presence of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro ahead of him in the pecking order.

One year on, not much has changed.

The 23-year-old has barely featured for Real, starting just seven La Liga fixtures all season, and he is still a target for Tottenham, as reported once again by AS.

Now, Italian publication Il Corriere di Torino claims that Zinedine Zidane’s side would not sell Kovacic this summer for a fee anywhere under £30 million with Liverpool, Manchester United and Juventus also linked with the former Inter Milan talent.

But, in a world where a 17-year-old from Fulham would cost almost double that, £30 million is not exactly a ridiculous amount for a player who has represented Inter and Real with distinction in his short career.

Tottenham are still looking for a successor to Mousa Dembele, whose contract expires in 2019 and is a target for Juventus, and the energetic, soulful and surprisingly tenacious Kovacic is about the best money can buy.

Kovacic’s irrepressible performance in the Champions League round-of-16 clash with PSG was on a par with that of Dembele against Juve. For £30 million, he has everything to ensure the brilliant Belgian’s potential departure is dealt with as smoothly as possible.