Report: Real Madrid will offer Mateo Kovacic for Tottenham Hotspur’s Dele Alli

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Spurs’ desire to keep Dele Alli in North London may be tested next summer with Real Madrid set to ramp up their reported interest.

Real Madrid are notoriously difficult to work with in the transfer market so perhaps it’s no surprise that they were never going to hand Tottenham Hotspur Mateo Kovacic without something in return.

Spurs have been linked with the Croatian international for about a year now and, according to AS in June, had a £22 million bid rejected by the La Liga champions. It is understood that Kovacic, who started just 27 La Liga games in his first two years at Madrid, was open to the idea of departing the Bernabau in search of more regular game time with the World Cup on the horizon.

The fact that the 23-year-old has played just 63 minutes of league football in 2017/18 will not help squash the speculation.

And Don Ballon are now reporting that Real may be willing to let Kovacic go to North London – though only if they get Dele Alli in return.

President Florentino Perez has not splurged huge money on a true ‘Galactico’ signing since bringing 2014 World Cup star James Rodriguez to Madrid from Monaco in 2014 but Alli, while not the finished article, could be worth more in today’s market than the £86 million they paid Spurs for Gareth Bale (The Telegraph).

The report adds that Alli, who scored 22 goals last season but has struggled for form this, is open to the move.

Spurs, however, will surely be a little less enthused by the prospect of one of the world’s most exciting young talents leaving them so soon – even if the £25 million former Inter Milan man arrives in exchange (The Mirror).